When Choice Meets Fate
by smshelton24
Summary: Not the as usual story line. Charlie and Renee' never divorced and Bella lives with them both in Forks. She and Jacob have been lifelong friends since childhood. Prior to their move to Forks, Edward's sister Alice envisions that he will finally meet his mate there. In a wayward attempt to woo Bella he causes her to phase,joining the pack. How will this twist play out?
1. Chapter 1, Fore Thought

**When Choice Meets Fate**

**Okay, this is a fresh idea that came to mind while I was writing the new chapter to my first story, After the Fact. It may turn into a one shot but I definitely hope it unfurls into more. **

**A/N: I do not own Twilight, its characters or its theme. Yup, Stephenie Meyer owns it all and I'm so jelly. **

**Chapter One: Fore thought**

Alice POV:

Ugh, I hate cars. Sighing heavily I shifted for the millionth time, although not out of discomfort. I was utterly bored. Jasper sat across the back seat from me, his back completely straight as a board; no doubt from his military training. He looked over at me, and his stone cold expression melted. "Did you need something, ma'am?" I turned, laying my legs across his lap, "I'm bored, Jazz. Let's play a game, or sing a song, something! Are we there yet?" Edward rolled his eyes from the front seat, "Fine, let's speed it up a little, then. We mustn't bore Alice." He really put his foot into the gas and the car kicked it into gear. We were gliding at well over 110 mph, which definitely made Edward happy so no one complained. Suddenly spots appeared in front of my eyes and I got the familiar dizzy sensation that preceded each one of my visions.

_I saw a face I didn't recognize, a female with very fair skin and deep red eyes, a blood drinker? She stood in a group with my family and me, laughing. We were in the living room of our home in Forks. This unfamiliar girl sat on the couch cuddled up with Edward, when he leaned over and kissed her neck below the ear. She smiled coyly at him, and then all at once the scene dissolved. _

When I came to, three pairs of eyes watched me carefully. Jasper leaned over, "So babe, what'd you see?" I replayed the images in my mind, watching Edward's expression in the rear view mirror. A smile grew on his lips and he jammed his foot even harder against the floor board, "Thank you, Alice." Emmett groaned, he hated when Edward and I did this, "Okay, can anyone aside from the mind readers in the car explain what just happened?" I felt giddy myself as I proudly announced, "It appears that Edward will finally meet his mate in Forks." Emmett whooped and hollered while Jasper leaned forward to clap a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Good show." In light of the news, we were all in a hurry to reach our destination. I caught his eyes in the rear view mirror again and behind the obvious joy, they showed the same question as mine but the answer was unclear. Neither of us felt the need to mention the girl's blood red eyes.

Meanwhile, at Bella's house in Forks…

Bella POV:

"Stop, Jake, you're getting paint everywhere!" I couldn't stifle my giggles watching Jacob's huge form clambered around my room, tiptoeing around paint pans and buckets. Even with the furniture cleared out into the hallway, he still stumbled about, like a bull in a china shop. Luckily, we had covered the floor in old sheets before we started, because in the two hours since we started we had gotten more paint on ourselves and everywhere other than the walls. I was so excited to see a new color on the walls, as they had been pale yellow since I was very young. Mom always said she liked the surprise of not knowing so she had to plan for a unisex nursery theme, and since then it remained the same shade; although somewhat dingier now. Well I was in high school now and with my electives at school centering on interior design, I decided it was high time for a change from nursery hues to a more grown up palette. To start with, the primer and paint in one base paint, lavender; to be accented later of course. I was able to stifle my giggles and paused to really look at Jacob.

It really blew my mind how much our relationship had changed. We had known each other our entire lives, our moms met in Lamaze class, and our dads had been fishing buddies since not so long after that. We spent every moment together as childhood friends, he taught me how to swim near the beach at La Push, then later, as teenagers, how to cliff dive which we were sure to omit mention of to our parents. Well, mine at least. Jake's dad really didn't interfere a whole lot, essentially he had kind of checked out since his wife's death just two summers ago. It was heart wrenching for both of us when she died, obviously I can't compare the severity of his loss to my own but Grace Black was like my mother too. Renee' didn't know what to do with herself and eventually Jake's dad, Billy could no longer withstand her condolences and stopped accepting her casseroles, then her calls. Aside from when they cross paths in relation to time he spends with Charlie, he doesn't speak more than a few words to her. I tried to soften the blow by telling her that it was likely her cooking that turned him off to her, but even that couldn't ease the pain. Looking at him now, I was so grateful to see the joy returning. Although he still has his moments, it's nothing compared to the depression he carried with him for about a year after. I blinked and realized he was standing in front of me, shirtless. Apparently through my trek down memory lane I hadn't noticed him walk over to me. Placing a finger under my chin he lifted my face to where I was able to look up into his eyes, which needless to say left my head leaning backward. "You okay?" With a half cocked smile I put my arms around his waist, "Yup I'm good." I surprised him by dipping my fingers into the paint bucket that rested on the floor next to me and swiping it across his cheek, "I'm great, even!"

I leapt from my place and scrambled out of his reach, laughing hysterically as a new paint fight ensued. After about ten minutes we lay in the middle of the floor, half covered in paint ourselves. Smiling up at the ceiling, I elbowed him, "You know, painting one bedroom is sure turning out to be a bigger proposition than I thought." We allowed the lavender to dry and I was even able to get started on my hand painted scrollwork in deep purple. He glanced at his watch and was on his feet almost instantly. Damn it, I hate how agile he is. "I had no idea this had taken so long, I've got to go. I promised my dad I'd be home by two." With a quick kiss to my forehead he stepped out of the room just as Charlie was walking in.

With a quick glance around the room he grinned at me, "Purple, huh?" I nodded. With a chuckle, he walked away, shaking his head.


	2. Chapter 2, School Days

When Choice Meets Fate 

Thank you again for each of you that are reading, following and reviewing my story, you make me smile.

**A/N: As always, Stephenie Meyer owns it all, at least as far as it pertains to Twilight. That is, everything except my unique spin on it, of course. **

**Chapter Two: School Days**

Edward POV:

I grin to myself as the christening colors of dawn drifted from the horizon across the sky. I waited without twitching or moving as the sun light crawled across the forest, then onto the ledge of the house where I sat. As the natural light crept upon my skin, a cascade of glittering colors exploded from it. Still I stared, out over the landscape, waiting for the time to leave. It struck me as so odd that as many times as I'd relived this day I'd never been giddier for my first day of school; aside from when I was a child. I'd been imagining this day since I'd seen her face in Alice's visions. It had been nearly three week since we had arrived and I didn't think I could wait to meet her for another minute, much less another day. She was beautiful, long chocolate brown hair cascading well down her back, he frame was slight, but she seemed strong minded. I look forward to our life together, to finally have a mate! I stood, pausing to reign myself in, I have to meet her first. Still we were early, but I couldn't delay any longer. I rounded up my "family" and we piled into my silver Volvo, speeding off toward Forks High School. We park in the same parking spot that we've parked in for the last sixty years or so and climbing out we walked inside for what seemed to be the millionth time. But today, I couldn't even be bored with this if I tried. As I stepped into each classroom I scanned the lot of faces, searching for the only face which held my interest, with no luck until Biology. Originally I believed that it too would be a loss but right before the bell to signal the start of class, in she walked. Suddenly I found myself shy and I couldn't bring myself to look at her. I ran my eyes around the room and realized…oh no, this is the only one left. With that, she was sitting in the seat next to me. My brain almost imploded, she was sitting next to, sharing my lab table. We'll have to share lab equipment and what if we get the chance to, to touch? I shook myself straight and took a deep, horribly unsatisfying breath. Without warning, my throat was on fire! I could breathe, or even think; I was overwhelmed with the most delectable smell I could have ever imagined. I had smelled human blood before but nothing compared to this aroma. Venom pooled on my tongue and I immediately began calculating the time it would take me to clear the room before even the first person could scream. Then a thought occurred to me. I could hear every heartbeat in the room, counting the breaths of every single body, but the scent was smothering; like it was sitting . . As the realization dawned on me, I risked a glance up at her face and saw the last thing I expected. There, staring at me was a beautiful set of deep brown eyes. The sensation of her was too much; like all of the oxygen was sucked out of the room and all of the sudden it was if my body needed it and only it. I held my proverbial breath and watched, waiting for the sounding bell. As soon I could stand it no longer I barreled out of the room, almost knocking her out of her seat.

Alice POV:

After witnessing his catastrophic experience upon meeting this girl, I knew Edward would be searching for me and boy would he be angry. So I decided to take the bull by the horns as Jasper would say and get this out of the way. As he forced the door open and stormed past me I asked in my sweetest voice, "So, she's human huh?" He whipped around and forced himself to casual saunter up beside me. His eyes were molten with anger, and thirst. "Why the hell didn't you tell me she was human?" He whispered angrily, too quickly for any of the human ears that surrounded us. "I don't know, Edward. Maybe because I didn't know that! I showed you everything that I knew. For that matter, why didn't _you _know, I showed you the whole vision too!" He sighed, rubbing his temples. "I know, Alice I know. But what does this mean? Am I to be the one to change her?" I held up hands in surrender, "I don't know Edward but can this possible wait until after school. We'll talk to Carlisle, he always know what to do. "He nodded, then turned and stalked away. At that moment, I made it my mission to befriend this girl, this human. For Edwards sake, and hers in fact; that girl was in desperate need of a fashion advisor! After admonishing her quietly, I bounded off toward my next class.

I was delighted to find that she and I had our next class, Beginners French together. I quickly claimed the seat directly in front of hers. I waited until most of the other students settled into their seats before I turned to her. "Hi! I'm Alice. Are you Bella?" She flushed bright red but nodded. I continued to prod, "So, where are you from?" She flushed again, making the smell of her blood fill the space around her. I wrinkled my nose, trying to focus. _Edward was right, she smells yummy! _ Shaking my head, I smiled brightly at her. She still hadn't answered. Boy, getting answers out of this girl is light pulling teeth! As the professor called everyone's attention to begin class, I sat back and spent the next hour imagining all of our future shopping escapades together. We'd go to Paris, and New York, and Japan, as well as countless other places. Finally a shopping partner! Sure Rosalie tolerated it but she didn't have the appreciation for my styling talents that this one would, I just knew it. All at once, the bell was ringing and it was time for lunch. I met Jasper, waiting in the hallway for me, and with a quick kiss we headed to the cafeteria together.

He let me do all of the talking on the way, which wasn't abnormal for him. In the spirit of where I met her, I spoke in fluent French. Telling him all about her, and how great I knew they would be together. By the time we reached the table where Emmett, Rosalie and Edward were already seated I was beaming uncontrollably. After a quick glance through our French class conversation, he grinned as he watched her blush. We settled in and began to relay what we'd found out to Emmett and Rose, until she walked in. Immediately all of our noses were on edge, and I took hold of Jasper's hand, distracting him as best I could. His whole body shuddered and he choked on the smell. "This is insane," Edward muttered, "She's over half a room away and still it smells as if she is _right _here. I don't understand, how could she be human?" He sat, tearing apart his sandwich as I put the straw for my juice between my lips and gave the impression I was drinking. Rose shifted in her chair, and Emmett reached across himself, scratching his arm. This was all a part of our act, the game to appear human. We had perfected it of course, it was like a dance. Lunch was over too quickly and I spent the rest of the afternoon doodling my way through each of the rest of my classes. Another hour, another year as high school student, but as we rode back toward our home at the end of the day, I couldn't help but think about how much more interesting this year was going to be.


	3. Chapter 3, Boy Meets Girl

_I appreciate all who are reading, following and reviewing my stories. I'm still kind of toying with how I want this to play out so if this seems a little sketchy I apologize. I'm hoping to see this mesh together as more of a solid idea as it comes together. This coming week, I'll have some extra writing time as my dear hubby is going out of town for a few days so I'm hoping to get some good brainstorming time in and maybe a few extra updates. I appreciate any feedback and reviews. With that, I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

_**A/N: I do not own Twilight, we know this or my name would be on the cover and I would be getting royalties on the now 5 movies; therefore I wouldn't have to work in the morning. But seeing as my desk is still waiting for me, this confirms that I am not a superstar author, at least yet. :P**_

**Chapter 3: Boy Meets Girl**

**Alice POV:**

_**The familiar face of Bella Swan filled my vision once again but this time the scene was different. The time she reclined on the same couch as before covered with a large quilt made up of a patchwork of, was that shirts? Yes, I was distracted by the random things on the shirts, they looked like souvenirs. It had everything from a three headed lobster to a snake pit? I didn't know what to make of this goofy quilt, but I had to focus. Edward sat behind her, with his arm wrapped around her shoulders. She didn't look well to the point that it scared me. But that was nothing compared to the moment that she moved and I saw what was under the blanket. She's **pregnant!_

I snapped to and found myself already running through the house and scaling the stairs in record time, screaming for Edward. He had already opened the door as I rushed around the corner causing me to collide with him in my hysterics. "Edward! Oh dear lord Edward you are not going to believe what I just saw." His eyes grew wide as I replayed the images in my mind for him. "How can this be, Alice? How is she pregnant? From the looks of it at the time of this vision, she must've been pregnant for awhile. You don't think, that she could be pregnant now, do you? Oh, Alice, what am I supposed to do with this?"She balked, "I don't know Edward but whatever it is, it needs to be fast because she was wearing a wedding ring." He replayed the images and his eyes widen as a realization dawns on him. "Oh my God, Alice, she's wearing my mother's wedding ring!" In his rage, he picked up a lamp which sat on the dresser by his door and throw it across the hall forcing it to shatter into shards. The noise of it brought the rest of the house to investigate. Upon seeing the mess in the hall, Esme gasped, "Oh Edward, my lamp! What possessed you?" Carlisle joined her, "Yes son, explain yourself, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Edward yelled, "aside from the fact that I'm going to end of marrying a harlot!"He slid down the wall, and upon landing on the floor he put his head in his hands. "This is the mate I've waited so long for? What have I done to deserve this?" Emmett stepped forward, placing a hand onto his shoulder to comfort him, "It's not that you've committed a sin that damns you to this fate, son. Alice's vision may simply be incomplete. There may be information we don't know yet." Edward looked up, "You may be right," with that he rose to his feet and sped to the door, "I do intend to find out what I'm missing, directly from the source." He left the house in a blur straight in the direction of the white house where Bella lives. Carlisle stepped in, "Emmett and Alice follow him and make sure he doesn't do anything he'll regret. And hurry, he's faster than all of us." In a flash, Emmett and I were racing toward what we knew was Edward's destination. By the time we arrived Edward had her behind the house in the woods and from the sound of it, he was yelling at her. We rushed to where they stood in the small clearing, Edward was in mid sentence. "How could you Bella? I can't believe you would do this!" Bella was backing away from him slowly, unsure of really how to react, "Listen, Edward is it? I don't even know you. I have no idea of what it is that you think that I've done but I'm sure that my life is none of your business. I'm going to turn around and walk away now. If you try to follow me I will scream and my dad will shoot you, and if you come around here again I will have you arrested for trespassing." And with that she was gone. Looking at Edward, he sunk to his knees on the ground, his anger totally deflated. "What the hell am I going to do now? She hates me." I scowled, "Well you've never actually met this girl and all of the sudden you come to her house and bombard her with a ton of personal questions that frankly you have no business to ask of her. If she is pregnant, that's one of the most personal things a woman can have happen and she sure as hell doesn't want to tell a stranger especially if she's not married. Leave her alone, start doing what you should have done first, be her friend. Let her show you if she wants more, that's all you can do for now." He looked to Emmett, "Are you against me too, bro?" Emmett shrugged, "Not against you, dude, but I do see some of Alice's point. If you want more with Bella, you're going to have to give her the chance to at least meet you on her terms first. I know with Rosalie if I had come up to her like that, I wouldn't' have limbs right now." He smiled, trying to lighten the mood. Finally, Edward relented, and then stood, and we were on our way back to our home to explain all that had happened to Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie. It appeared that Edward had a lot to learn before Bella would become his mate, and I had to admit I liked her fire. She would make one fiery immortal, that's for sure.

**Bella POV:**

**I stormed back into the house and straight up to my room, where I continued to pace. **_What the hell was that! He had some nerve, coming to my house and accusing me of things, unthinkable things! What an asshole, and the worst part was, his tone was almost accusatory. Like he was entitled to be angry, that he had a right to be upset with me! I barely even know the bastard. _I cursed myself for ever thinking I could be attracted to him. That little moment in the clearing gave me all the clarity that I needed about Edward Cullen. He was snide, pompous jerk and I wanted nothing to do with him. I had to talk to someone but there was no way I was involving Charlie or that boy would be dead and buried in our backyard. Picking up my cell I sent a quick text to Jacob, asking him to come over when he could and in less than half an hour he was at the door. As was his normal routine, he walked in without the need to knock, said a quick hi to Charlie, who sat in the living room watching the ball game. After some quick banter about the losing team being the underdog, he jogged up to the steps and waltzed into my room. "Hey hun, what's up?" I smiled as he flopped down onto the bed, laying his feet in my lap causing me to swat them away, "Eew, dirty werewolf feet!" He laughed heartily and I smiled. I'd always loved the sound of his laugh. "So anyway, your text was pretty sudden. I thought you were focusing on studying today, what happened?" I stood up, the memory of the confrontation making me furious once again. "Do you know the new kids in town, the Cullens?" He nodded and I continued, "Well, the one named Edward? He came over here today uninvited all angry and he asked to speak to me outside. Then he just starts yelling at me, asking me if I'm pregnant and who the father is, and then two of the other Cullens showed up." Jacob's eyes blazed but he bit his lip and gestured for me to keep going. For one brief moment I smiled, "I told him that it was none of his business and if he came around here again I'd have him arrested. I was proud of myself, not being my usual weenie in the face of trouble. I didn't even have to call my daddy to help me." At that, Jake chuckled, "Well, I am proud of your bravery but I'm not so sure how brave you'll feel when I tell you this. The Cullens are cold ones from our legends, Bella; they're vampires." My jaw dropped in shock, "Cold ones? I didn't know any were still in existence. They didn't look old."

"Well, they don't ever _look _old, Bella. That's the point, they're immortals like us. But yes, the one that came over here, Edward Cullen, he was present at the original treaty signing. He's pretty damn old. You verbally assaulted an old man." He full on laughed again, and I punched him on the shoulder. "He verbally assaulted me first. And what gives him the right to come over here asking me questions like that? You know as well as I do that I'm not innocent but I'm far from the whore he made me out to be. Why would he think I'm pregnant? Do I _look _pregnant to you?" He threw his hands up in surrender, "Whoa Bella, that's too much of a loaded question, a man knows to choose his battles so I plead the fifth." I reached back and threw a pillow directly at his face and to his good grace he actually let it land without batting it away. "Why, you think I look like I could be pregnant!" He grabbed my hands as they reached for another pillow, "No hun, I don't think you look pregnant, but if the law of nature. If I tell you that you look pregnant obviously you'll be upset but if I tell you that you don't, then you won't believe me. So as a wise man, I digress." Pausing for a moment to consider I realized he was right. "That's all well and good old and wise chief Jacob but now we must decide, how are we to handle Mr. Edward Cullen?" He sat in thoughtful silence for a few moments, and then responded.

"Why dear Bella I think it's time we got to know the Cullens."

_Yes I know, short and sweet. I'm hoping to get some more meaty stuff through my updates mid week. For now, review or shoot me a message with your thoughts. With that, I'm off to bed, work in the morning, people! _He


	4. Chapter 4, The Alpha's Mate

**I previously planned on updating sooner but I'm struggling with the direction I want to take this in as I've been kind of focused on "The Aftermath" recently. And as much as I did hope to update during this prior week it strikes me as odd that I'm updated on Friday; my normal update day. It's been an odd, exhausting week. What can I say? The perfectionist in me looks back on the last chapter and I'm embarrassed by the errors in wording and grammar I found there so I want to be more careful and not update so hastily in the future. My apologies, nothing ruins a good story (knock on wood), like bad grammar. I'll be more diligent in my future updates, I promise. Thank you to Babsy1221 for your critique; looking back I can see how the format was distracting. I'll pay closer attention to that in the future. On a side note, as women we know what the right answers would be to inane questions like, "Does this outfit make my butt look big?", but when do men actually say the right thing? And speaking of men…**

**A/N: Yes we all know I don't own or claim to own Twilight; so what else is new?**

**Chapter 4: The Alpha's Mate**

**Jacob POV:**

I jogged along beach, with the sun just beginning to break the above the distant skyline. As much as I would have loved to phase and just let my wolf run, I needed to think so I reined him in. He still spat comments at me from inside my head.

"_We have to do something, keep her away from that leech! She is our mate, ours! We need to rip his fucking head off, problem solved." He shrugged his shoulders and snorted, like this was just the obvious choice._

I'll be the first to admit that much as I did want to give in, I owed it to her to keep a clear head. For as long as we'd been alive, she and I were inseparable. As her best friend, I wouldn't let her close to them but now, it was so much more with her, more significance. A growl rumbled deep within my subconscious.

"_Yeah, and while you're busy ignoring it, the blood sucker steps in and sweeps her off her feet."_

I scoffed, brushing off the idea until he said what I'd been thinking the entire time I'd been running.

"_Sure, he pissed her off, but you see the effect he has on her. I can, but it's obvious, if you don't understand you're an imbecile. He's a threat, a dangerous one. We need to show him his place and stake our claim on Bella." _

I knew he was right as much as he did, but what was I supposed to do? We may know the tribe seeker's prediction that Bella and I would be mated, but she couldn't know. I chuckled at the memory of that council meeting. Upon taking my place as alpha after I phased, the council summoned me and also, the seeker. In our tribe, the seeker is similar to a matchmaker, I guess you could say. They saw to it that each tribe leader, including those in the pack was mated to the right person; to ensure the integrity of our blood lines. No seeker had ever been wrong, once they announced a pairing the imprint was not long after. So when it came time to name my mate, the fact that the seeker announced Bella Swan's name caused so much of an uproar that that my dad almost had a coronary, not to mention all of the other counsel leaders.

I'll never forget my father's words to me, "Son, it's not that I don't love Bella like my own daughter, I do. But I don't understand, none of the elders do. A bond between a mate and their imprint has never extended beyond our tribe. This makes them worry what it could mean, what else we don't know."

I did understand their concern; they were nothing if not traditional; true to every custom and ritual to a t. If I were to be honest with myself, I knew well before the seeker that our bond went much deeper than childhood sweethearts, but I didn't know how to approach the subject with them until that moment.

"_We have to tell her! Once she feels the pull of the imprint there will be no way that he could ever come close." _

I resolved that I would make a plan to tell Bella my secret. And silently I prayed that for once in the history of my people, that the seeker wouldn't be wrong.

**Alice POV**

This girl is turning out to be _so _confusing! The recent rash of visions involving this human were really making me doubt my sanity. Jasper hated for me to use the c-word considering my childhood in the asylum, but I was definitely feeling a little crazy. I almost wished I hadn't let Edward see my first vision, it built up hopes and he became assumptive and cocky and that caused her to literally blow up in his face. I shouldn't have let him see how enamored she was of him in that vision, he needed to know that she was unattainable; that he had to earn that with her. Since their confrontation in the woods I had been torn in multiple directions as Bella tossed between emotions. I really wished she would make up her damned mind! It would definitely make my life a whole lot easier, not to mention those of my families' lives as well. As I sat on my perch atop the roof of our home, I felt another vision building.

_She sat on a deadwood tree; I recognized this as the beach at La Push. Now why would she be there? I soon got my answer. She sat among a group of Quileute boys around a crackling fire, laughing loudly at something. I watched from a distance, waiting to see what major decision she had made that had spawned the vision. She was quickly approached by a large boy, his back to my line of sight. Geez, what are they feeding these boys, they are huge! But none of them as tall as this one. He must be the alpha of their pack. She took a bottle from him and I couldn't help wondering if there was something alcoholic inside. I clucked my tongue at her in disapproval. Geez Bella, werewolves are not the best company to keep! Bringing myself back to focus I continued to watch as he circled around behind her. She moved, allowing him to sit and he pulled her onto his lap nuzzling his face into her hair; kissing her neck sweetly below the ear. The words I heard next caused my stomach to drop into my toes. She leaned back into him, turning her head to kiss him deeply, "I love you, Chief"._

This wasn't going to go over well, and considering the rising number of dramatic Edward tantrums we'd endured lately I decided to keep my thoughts to myself. I grumbled as another migraine ensued. This was getting exhausting, they need to get there shit straight and fast otherwise things were going to get very ugly around here. Suddenly I felt my frustration begin to wane and a subtle calm settled over me. I smiled as Jasper slipped over the edge of the roof effortlessly, sitting beside me and pulling me close.

"Are you okay sweetie? I can feel your frustration reverberate through them entire house. You're practically broadcasting a distress beacon."

I sighed, knowing that I could never lie to him and that wasn't entirely a result of his talent alone. Since my first vision of him, and the long trip to Texas where I waited for him in that saloon I'd been hooked. No one else could ever match him in my eyes, and it saddened me that the life he'd known before this one was so terrible for him. Looking at him now, his eyes pierced my resolve and I gave in. "I had another vision and apparently Bella is in love with the Quileute alpha now. I want to keep it to myself because Edward is going to flip out, but then again it just makes my head hurt."

He reached over and brushed his thumb along my bottom lip, which I hadn't realized I had stuck out in a full on pout. "Then just tell him, love. It's not worth causing yourself so much distress, he'll find out eventually. I'll do as much damage control as I can, but ultimately he needs to be able to process his emotions. Especially if Bella has chosen the wolf pack's commander then he needs to understand that this is her choice; he cannot decide for her." He stood, extending his hand to lift me up and pull me close to his chest.

I tilted my face back and kissed him deeply, then reluctantly pulled back. "Okay then, we might as well go tell him and get this circus act over with." He chuckled as we stepped over the ledge, hand in hand; landing on the ground two stories below and walked inside. As we started up the stairs I called, "Oh, Edward!"

**Edward POV: **

After sitting with Alice and Jasper, watching her most recent vision play before my eyes, I felt my heart begin to break. I knew the effect was somewhat subdued by Jasper's calming waves washing over me, but I was oddly grateful that he didn't completely numb me out. "Thanks Jazz." He nodded, smiling kindly but it didn't reach his eyes. Alice sat up leaning toward me, "So, Edward, what are you going to do?"

I shrugged, "Well, she's chosen the dog. Women are fickle, who's to say that I can't change her mind?" I could see her begin to shake her head at me, but I cut her off, needing her to see my point. "That mutt doesn't have half the charm that I do, he couldn't offer her anything near the life that I could. All that I have to do is give her a taste, sweep her off of her feet! Don't worry Alice, I won't overwhelm her; I just want my chance at a happily ever after. After all, all of your already have yours." At that, she stopped trying to convince me. I stood and left the room without anything additional to add to the conversation. I had to figure out a way to show her what I have to offer her. I could give her anything in the world and he could, well he could barely feed himself I'd imagine. He could hurt her with his lack of self control; I will not let her be harmed!

On a good note, I knew the Quileute children pretty much live within the reservation. And there is always Biology, I just have to make the most of each moment I can get with her. As much as it irritated me, I knew Alice was right. I couldn't be too overwhelming; otherwise I'll lose her forever. To help time pass I retreated down to my music room and spend the rest of the evening and into the following morning writing a ballad for her. As images of her filled my mind, my fingers glide over the keys building my masterpiece. By the time that Emmett interrupted me to leave for school I had composed a score that I believed would really take her breath away. My first plan of attack was the find a way to convince her to let me play it for her. But first, I had to do some major damage control considering our first couple of interactions really didn't go well.

I found a way to interject myself into her path between every class, if not to speak with her at least to make her see me. Initially she brushed me off, but eventually as she saw that I wouldn't be dismissed she became irritated with me. Now this, I could work with, at least it was a reaction. But the time she took her seat beside me Biology she didn't need any provocation.

"What the hell do you want, Edward? Why are you following me around?"

I tried my best to look contrite, "I'm sorry Bella, I just- I wanted to apologize for the way that I acted before; on both occasions. It was uncalled for and I had no grounds to attack you the way I did. I'm so sorry." I saw her blanch as she didn't expect an apology.

She gulped and cleared her throat, "Well, thank you Edward that means a lot. You're right you didn't have any right to treat me the way you did, but I accept. I'm not much of a grudge keeper either." I shot her my glistening smile, the one that I knew made girls weak at the knees. She blushed and I couldn't take my eyes off of her, she was beautiful. She stared straight into my eyes and smiled back and I mentally commended her for her confidence. It wasn't often that a girl could look me in the eyes and keep her wits about her. I loved that she wasn't that weak minded. When the moment waned and she turned her attention toward picking the lint off her sleeve I spoke, not wanting the moment to end. "So, to formally introduce myself, I am Edward Cullen. I just moved her with my family."

A doubtful look glittered behind her eyes, "I know who you are Edward."

That idea made me smile, that she knew of me prior to meeting me. I chuckled, "So, what is it that you know?" At her answer I was the one who was dumbstruck.

"I know more about you than you think, you and your family are the cold ones."


	5. Chapter 5, The Moment When Everything

_**Okay okay, I know that I planned on updating sooner but what can I say? No excuses. I am grateful to my readers for reading, following, and reviewing my story. Also I am happy to hear the intrigue as you all try to figure out what will happy next. I kind of like the world where Bella grew up with knowledge of the supernatural, as I don't really favor the weak minded Bella who Stephenie Meyer has portrayed, no insult to her writing of course. In any case, as I sat today considering which direction I'd like to take this in I had an epiphany. I am so excited to put this chapter into place so I'll keep this short and get the next chapter started!**_

_**A/N: I do not own twilight or any of its correlating characters or themes.**_

**Chapter Five: The Moment When Everything Changes**

**Edward POV: **

It was my turn to be struck speechless. _Did she actually just say what I think she just said? _I affixed a stone smile to my face trying not to give anything away. "Now Bella, we are both a little old for believing in fairytales, don't you think?" She chuckled to herself and I probed her mind reaching to know what it was that brought the smile to her beautiful lips. That's when I realized that no matter how hard I pushed, I heard only silence. This I hadn't experienced before. _How the hell am I supposed to win her heart without being able to read how she really feels? _Through my bitterness I muttered, "What the hell is wrong with you?" Her head snapped in my direction.

"Excuse me?"

I sucked in an unsatisfying gasp, "You, um, you heard that?"

"Of course I heard that you pompous ass, I'm neither deaf nor dumb." Anger seethed behind her eyes, bringing their warm brown color to a cool slate gray; leaving them devoid of any emotion aside from rage. I flashed a dazzling smile again but it fizzled and fell flat, incinerated by the waves of heat radiating off of her. Her anger stirred up a strange emotion and from the bottom of my chest bubbled up a light chuckle; that was a big mistake. Her eyes were burning into the side of my shoulder.

"What the hell is so very funny?"

I immediately stopped laughing, "I'm not sure exactly, you draw strange reactions out of me." The look she gave me silenced any further banter and I sat quietly for a few moments before attempting once again discern any of the thoughts running through her mind. I would give anything to see inside of her mind, to see what she must have been thinking just then.

"And whatever it is you're doing, stop it!" She hissed. I didn't understand what exactly she was referring to. As I made one more feeble attempt to reach into her subconscious, I felt an intangible force shove back against me, elastic but impenetrable. "That!" She slammed her first down onto the tabletop, causing the professor to take a pause from his lecture, looking us both over harshly.

"Is there something wrong? Miss Swan? Mr. Cullen?" We both shook our heads in apology and he continued his lesson, with a snide thought about wasting his time on lesson plans for stupid teenagers that couldn't give a damn. I could hear her heartbeat thrumming loudly and I worried that she was unwell; in addition to that I detected a faint sheen of sweet raising the service of her skin. When I noticed her hands trembling, I felt guilty for apparently upsetting her, which couldn't be doing anything to help her situation. As I leaned over close to her to whisper my apology she abruptly stood, knocking her stool backward where it clattered loudly on the tile.

"I'm sorry Mr. Molina, I really don't feel well." With that she gathered her bag and stormed out of the classroom. She looked so distressed that he made no attempt to stop her, and that was my window.

As the door closed behind her I rose as well, "I would like to make sure she reaches the nurse alright, she was feeling rather dizzy." He gave a decisive nod, and I caught the small hall pass in my palm as I rushed after her. I scurried along as speedily as I could without raising too much suspicion and quickly caught up with her as she jogged into the woods behind the school. The change in her demeanor was obvious as she became aware of my presence but still she continued to run deeper into the trees. We eventually reached a small clearing when suddenly she stood at a halt and for a moment I breezed past her. I circled back around to stand directly in front of her, eying her suspiciously as her form still shook from her very core.

"Are you alright, Bella?" Stepping forward carefully, I regarded her as one would an injured animal, one you are trying to sooth into submission without spooking it further. With each step I further forward, she in turn matched it with her own backward step. Even after our run it struck me as odd that she had not even missed a breath. With both hands raised she ordered me to stop.

"Don't come any closer, Edward."

I made my gait wider, stepping in a broad circle but still advancing forward. "How can I stop, my dear Bella. I _need _to be with you, if anything just to be next to you. You cannot deny that you feel the effects our bond has on you. Please don't fight it, we were meant to complete one another, can you not see it?"

As her figured trembled harder it was as if the edges her very body began to blur. She was no longer retreating and I knew that if I could just touch her, kiss her even, then she would realize my affection for her and her own for me. And then we could finally be happy, the world would be set right. I drew myself up closer to her, and then took my chance. Taking her shaking form into my arms I held her against me, covering her lips with my own. The last sound I heard was the single word she shrieked as she shoved me away from her with all of her strength, "NOOO!" And in that moment the entire scene changed, into something I never could have dreamed or imagined.

Before me, in Bella's stead, I stood face to face with a wolf. Deep chocolate brown in color with big round eyes, the same color as her fur. She stood very talk, with the level of her eyes just a bit shorter than my own. She looked around herself, stumbled and tripping over her own feet until whimpering she bolted into the woods; her figure still blurring slightly.

There's not a thought I could have read anywhere, from anyone's mind that would have prepared me for this. And with that, a deep bellow escaped my throat and I fell to my knees sobbing wretchedly in the snow. My cries fell on the deaf ears of the empty wood, and it was only a matter of time before I was surrounded by the forms of my family. Emmett and Jasper gathered me up into their grasp and half carried me to our home. No number of words could bring me comfort and no amount of solace could lessen my sorrow. My love, my mate, my sweet, sweet Bella was lost.

Jacob POV:

I felt the change the moment it happened, and immediately I began running toward the source of the disturbance; unsure yet of what I would find. I couldn't think of who would possibly have joined the pack, there hadn't been any signs. As I sped through the woods, I thought of every boy who had come of age in the recent days. Would it be Quil, Embry, or even young Seth Clearwater? I shuddered at the thought of someone so young forced into this life. I was halted by Sam running the opposite direction, apparently looking for me.

_Jake! I had to come find you; I knew you would feel the shift. You're going to want to stop and take this one in, man. No one expected this and no one knows what to do with her. _

_**Wait a minute, her? **_That news stopped me in my tracks.

_**I never even stopped to think the next to join the pack would be female. This was another first for our tribe. Who was it? **_

Same shifted his weight between his feet, whimpering under the weight of my question, reluctant to answer.

_**Answer me, damn it! Give me a name of the one who phased?**_

Without a second's delay he spoke the one name that I never thought I would hear.

"_Jake, it's Bella; she's phased." _


	6. Chapter 6, Bella's Wolf

_**Well it appears I have another opportunity to update this week and seeing as my last couple of updates were so delayed, as an apology I offer up this newest update. Again I am humbled by the numerous people who are reading, following, and reviewing my stories. I am so excited to watch this story line unfold further, and I can appreciate the strength Bella is demonstrating here; where she fully recognizes her own gifts without having to be told. I do hope that the last chapter left you intrigued for more and also I hope that I can sustain that for all of you. I do want to say beforehand this chapter will carry a lot of dialogue, and as this is not my normal forte I apologize if this confuses the story line at all. But for with amount of mental conversation, it did seem to be required. With that, let our story continue!**_

_**A/N: As I'm sure it's no surprise, I do not own Twilight, it's characters, or its themes. **_

**Chapter 6: Bella's Wolf**

**Jacob POV:**

Sam's answer froze my feet to the ground, and I was sure I could not have heard that right. There was no way that Bella was a werewolf, she was not of Quileute blood. I was so confused and there were many unanswered questions, but my primary concern could not be on those right now. I had to reach Bella, and then we could figure this out together.

_**Where is she, Sam? **_

He sat his chest heaving and relayed his answer. _She's in the clearing about 3 miles south of the school. Paul is there with her but she is totally freaking out._

_**Well I think that makes two of us. I'll be there in less than five minutes. Paul, stand down but keep her under your watch until I arrive. **_

With the conversation over I sprinted in the direction of the school, silencing all other voices in the pack mind and attempted to reach Bella's mind directly.

_**Bella, honey, can you hear me? **_

As I neared her location, I became aware of a chaotic disturbance in the pack mind and I knew it had to be her. With nothing a continual string of confusing curses and questions as she struggled to understand what apparently just happened. Once I reached the clearing, I found her stumbling about unable to decide what she should be doing with herself. _What the hell is this? How could this have happened, I'M A WOLF? What I am going to tell Charlie? Oh hell, this four legs thing is confusing."_

I took a few moments to look her over, studying every detail. Her figure was slighter than the others of our pack, and her coat a glossy chocolate brown. Her ears were slicked back out of fear of anything and everything around her until her eyes fell upon me. _Jake?_

I nodded and stepping toward her, nuzzled her warmly. _**Yes love, I'm here. Just calm down and let's talk this through. What happened? Are you injured?**_

She sat back on her haunches staring at me, and although I could feel her questions still lingered she began to relax. _I'm not hurt, I'm just severely confused. How the hell did this happen? This can't be possible, I'm not…_

_**I know, love, you're not of Quileute blood. I do intend to the take this to the elders in the hopes that they may know more. Although considering the uproar they caused when you were announced as my mate, I doubt they'll have any more insight than we do. **_

I paused as I felt her question pressing in my mind. _The seeker chose me as your mate?_

I gave her another nuzzle, _**Yes sweetheart, but I think we both knew that on some level didn't we? But that's a discussion for another time.**_

She nodded her agreement, on shaky legs, just like a baby fawn finding its footing. _I never realized how distracting this would be. There are so many things happening all at one time. I hear everyone's voice all at one time and at the same time I know where each one is located. This is so…weird. Not only all of that but everything is so loud, I can hear everything! _

_Cool isn't it? _Paul asked, as he and Sam both joined us.

She chuckled but then paused, "Oh wait, this means each of you will be able to hear what I think? And you'll be able to hear me?" Each on nodded. "So how do I change back?"

_**Well, I think we'll want to be alone for that as you do know our clothes don't phase with us. **_This caused her to gulp heavily, and she couldn't meet either Sam or Paul's eyes. _**Don't worry love, I'll be the only one with you and I can shield my thoughts from the others. You'll need to be mindful of your thoughts though, because the group is privy to those. But let's get you phased back and dressed so we can go see the council leaders. I'm sure they'll be interested to know this, come with me. **_

She followed my lead as we ran toward my house on the reservation. Once we reached the edge of the woods I turned to face her once again and the depth of her eyes struck me dumb for a second.

_**Okay Bella, stay here for just a second I'll be right back. **_

Quickly I phased and dressed, jogging into the house. Once I had retrieved a pair of my sister's sweats, I then ran back outside to find her seated and waiting on me.

"Okay Bella, this will be a lot easier now that you're calm. You'll learn that keeping your temper under control will be the key in staying on two legs. Now imagine yourself human, envision your physical body from head to toe. Your toes and feet, then your legs and hips, now your torso, shoulders, last your arms and your head. Good girl."

She sat and closed her eyes focusing on herself as a human, and I had to admit it was a bit distracting, as her thoughts played before my eyes as well. But still I sat, wordless allowing her to keep her focus, and in just a few moments she stood in front of me on two legs and completly naked. I handed her the sweats and she quickly although unsteadily dressed. I chuckled as I realized that even after just phasing from a wolf, her clumsiness still remained. Once she was clothed I held her at arm's length, watching her carefully. Without warning her eyes filled with tears and her entire body began to shake.

"Oh, Bella honey." I pulled her into my chest, wrapping my arms around her slight form and holding her close to me; comforting her. After a few minutes I kissed the crown of her head and pulled away. "Okay, let's go to the council, we need to let them know what's happened."

**Bella POV: **

This had to be a dream; there was _no _way that what just happened was real. I couldn't be a wolf, why and how did I just phase into a wolf? My head was spinning with questions as I sat on Jake's couch, with him pacing back and forth across the tiny living room on the phone.

"Yeah dad, we need to call the council together for a meeting. As soon as possible, something serious has happened. You are never going to believe what, Bella phased. Yes Bella, dad. None of us expected it either, yes I'm sure."

He spoke in a measure tone, trying to keep annoyance out of his voice. "We'll talk more about this with the council, dad, for now I need you to call a meeting; right way. Thank you, we'll be there as soon as we can."After ending the call, he crossed the room the stand in front of me again.

"Are you feeling better love?"

I nodded yes, then pausing I changed my mind and shook my head no. "I have so many questions about this, I'm so confused and I don't understand it at all. How can I be a wolf?" He took my hand and pulled me up to kiss me again, then he turned and I followed him outside. We stepped off of the porch and hand in hand we crossed the reservation toward the meeting house. As we walked my ears were overwhelmed by the sounds of everything around us. My nose was also greeted by a multitude of smells; it seemed that all of my senses were on over drive.

Jake glanced over at me and smiled, "Distracting isn't it? Those are your wolf senses. It will be a little disconcerting for awhile until you adapt to them. You asked me how I knew about different things, well now you'll know too. It's all about the ability to detect sounds and smells. While this is definitely weird, I'm kind of grateful. You make one sexy wolf, love. But not only for that, now we'll be able to share this world together. I never thought I'd be able to say that. You've always been my mate but now this takes it so much deeper."

I took his hand to my lips, kissing him softly. "So, the seeker chose me, huh? This drew a smile to his lips, "Yes, that was one hell of a day." I giggled while imagining the panic during that meeting. My laughter was cut short as we approached the small meeting house for the council as I realized we were about to one hell of meeting ourselves. While every instinct inside of me wanted to turn and run from this, I knew it was not something I could escape from. So after taking a deep breath I looked him straight in the eye, attempting to reassure us both, and we stepped inside to face the council.


	7. Chapter 7, The Council's Verdict

_**Good evening everyone! I am sorry that I'm not updating until now. In addition to computer troubles I have somewhat struggled with this chapter. However, today I got my new laptop so I can get back on track with steady updates, and the chapter started to come together so I'm hoping that you enjoy it. Even though a couple of crazy things have already happened, but don't get complacent as some interesting twists are still yet to come, As always I greatly appreciate those of you reading, following, and reviewing my stories; and I welcome your feedback and comments.**_

_**A/N: I don't own Twilight we know this. Blah, blah, blah.**_

**Chapter 7: The Council's Verdict**

**Charlie POV: **

I hadn't expected to be invited here; in all of the years that I had known both Billy Black and Harry Clearwater I had never been included within tribal matters. Yet here I sat being stared down by all each one of them until I felt as if it was my own trial which was about to begin. No one would explain to me the reason that I'd been called there and as the silence stretched on, I found myself caught up in the rhythms created by the old box fan in the window. After about ten minutes, I was more than grateful to hear the door open; that was until I turned and saw who it was that entered. Jacob stepped inside, nodding at me grimly, and then he stepped aside and revealed Bella looking as frightened as I've ever seen her. I stood up, rushing to her and wrapping my arms around her. "Bella honey, what's wrong? Why are we here?" Her mouth dropped open and she froze, without a word hiding behind Jacob's shoulder.

"Charles Swan, Isabella Swan, and Jacob Black, please come forward and take your seats." Billy's eyes were shrouded in secrecy and glaring sharply at all three of us. His expression alone kept me from arguing and we walked slowly to the front of the room where three wooden chairs awaited us. After we settled in, Billy began again. "We have summoned you three here to discuss an unprecedented moment in our tribal histories. The phasing and induction of Bella Swan as a child of the moon, therefore she has joined in totality with our current pack of protectors."

"Wait a second here, I need to stop you right there." I stood as I spoke; failing my attempt to cover the nervous tremble in my voice. "What do you mean Bella is child of the moon? Are you talking about the pack that I think you're talking about, because that would mean that Bella is a…a um…"

"A werewolf?" Bella stood up next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Yes, dad, that is what they're saying. It was really unexpected and no one really knows what to do with this, but yes I phased this afternoon. That's why we're here; we're trying to figure this out." Her eyes were wide, her expression mirrored my own; full of doubt and fear. With a million thoughts running through my head, I couldn't seem to formulate a single word. Billy cleared his throat and we all returned to our chairs.

"Yes Charlie, we know this quite a shock. We were all very surprised as well, to say the least, but still the situation is irreversible. And while it is completely unorthodox according to what we thought we knew about our histories, this does make the notion of Bella as our alpha's mate much easier to swallow."

He gave Bella a small apologetic small to soften the blow but his words still stung for me. Yet he continued further, "Now, we have called the three of you here to aid us in the discovery of an explanation as to how this occurred at all. As the histories indicate that only one who possesses Quileute blood can transform into one of our shape shifters, so we must determine where that blood line intermingled with Bella's lineage. We have to assume that it would be with Bella's generation, as symptoms have not manifested to our knowledge prior to now."

Jacob stood, apparently catching something that I somehow missed, and he looked irritated, angry even. "Whoa now, we all know that the shape shifters gene can skip a generation on occasion. Who's to say that this transgression didn't occur in a prior generation? You cannot mean to imply that Renee…or Charlie would…"

All of the eyes in the room fell upon me and it he didn't have to finish his question, I finally understood. _Wait a second, Bella is an only child. They're actually insinuating that…there was no way that these implications could be true! _Before I could blink I was jumping to my feet, furiously, leaving my chair to loudly scrape along the floor behind me. I could barely force the words between my clenched teeth. "There is no way that Renee cheated on me! I mean just look at Bella, she is practically my own damned spitting image!" Even through my rage, Billy remained unfazed by my outburst.

"Now Charlie, while we realize that there are other possibilities, we have to entertain all of the options until we know differently. We are only seeking the truth."

True to form, Bella stood as well as she too realized, albeit delayed, the council's assumption. "Oh hell no, my mother has never cheated on my dad; how can you even say that?

I noticed her body spontaneously begin to shake, a growl rumbling deep within her chest. Jacob leaned into her ear, at first bristled up against whatever he had sad to her, but then he whispered again and she quietly followed him outside. I know it had to be my old eyes deceiving me, but it appeared as if her entire form was blurred. Then I realized that this was because she was because she was likely to lose her temper quickly if she stayed. I knew of the stories and Jacob had even phased for me once. I knew their stories of new wolves and their lack of control, how unstable it made them. And as much as I wanted to believe that Bella wouldn't hurt me, I also knew the real life story that Sam and Emily lived each day. He loves her so much, she is his wife and they're evening expecting their first child next month. But even with his love for her she was too close when he lost control and now she was scarred for life. I was suddenly grateful that Jacob had escorted her outside. My head was spinning with this fresh onslaught on news. First my only child is a werewolf and now my wife is apparently cheating on me. This was just so much to take in. All of the sudden spots began to form in from of my eyes and my chest grew tight. Sharp pains began to streak down my left arm and I gripped it tightly, sure I had been injured. The last thing I remember is a whirlwind of faces, all glaring at me from behind their tall wooden bench; then the dingy linoleum floor rising up to meet me.

**Bella POV:**

After that ludicrous accusation my entire body began to shake uncontrollably. Jake was quick to take notice of it and he leaned in to whisper, "Let's go outside for a minute," With a small tug on my shirt sleeve. I resisted, focused only on the beet red hue of my father's face. Had I ever seen him so red? He leaned in again, this time his whisper was more urgent. "Honey, we need to go outside so that you can calm down. If you were to lose control and faze in here someone, possibly Charlie, could be injured seriously." With that sudden reality bringing some perspective to my line of thoughts, I quietly followed him outside. I hadn't realized that I had been holding my breath until the door closed behind us. At once I felt restless to the point that heavy shudders racked my entire body. My eyes frantically scoured everything around us, really unsure of what they were searching for until they landed up Jacob. His eyes caught mine and he nodded in understanding.

"Don't think about it, don't try to figure it out; let your instincts take over, let's run."

I allowed the wolf inside of me take over and we bolted into the woods, exploding out of our clothes mid faze; leaving them in shards on the ground. As we broke through the trees I could not suppress a triumphant howl that escaped my lips as we ran.

Yeah, this is exactly what I needed right now.

_**Okay I know this one is short but it's late and I have work tomorrow, not to mention the hubby is feeling neglected. I'll try to update again before Friday but if not, not later than then I promise. Scout's honor! Good night all!**_


	8. Chapter 8, When The Power Shifts

_**Good afternoon all, it is Friday once again my lovelies so here we go with Chapter Eight. I appreciate all your support throughout this process and I'm proud that my stories have taken so well and I'm excited that my sanity has survived so far, somewhat. I'm sure you're interested to know more about what's happening with Charlie and in regard to Renee; did she or didn't she? Well you'll find how soon enough but for now let's get on with our story. I do need to say as a heads up this chapter does contain a few lemons so if you are not of age to indulge in certain citrusy fruit, take heed.**_

_**A/N: I do not own Twilight, it's characters, or Stephenie Meyer's themes. **_

**Chapter Eight: When The Power Shifts**

**Jacob POV: **

Watching Bella as we full on sprinted through the wood was an incredible experience. Not only to _see _her run, but also to hear the cacophony of thoughts racing wildly through her mind was intriguing as well. Not to mention, seeing her in wolf form confirmed in me that she was in fact meant for me. Every part of my wolf screamed, "Mine!" but I had to remind him that she had yet to complete our bond, our imprint. So for now I had to push him toward the back of my mind so I could focus on her and make sure that she was okay after the drama we had experienced from the council. The audacity of the council's claims even left me trembling with anger. But this wasn't about me so I turned my focus toward Bella as she finally slowed to a trot. I silenced my own thoughts and listened to her inner rants.

"_What the hell just happened in there? How could they possibly be accusing my mother of cheating on my dad? Oh the nerve! I could just rip them to shreds for even suggesting it! I mean I'm everything like my dad there is no way that he's not my father!"_

After allowing her a few moments to vent her anger, she sat on her haunches and sighed heavily. I stepped over to her and nuzzled her neck with my snout. Geez, even the smell of her fur was sweet to my nose and I had to pull my focus back to her. _"I know you're angry love, I am too. I am extremely embarrassed for them. But we both know that there is no possible way that this allegation is true. I'll deal with the council love; just take a few moments to calm down."_

She leaned into me as I scooted in closer to her with a low growl in my throat. I sensed the increase in her heartbeat and it warmed me to feel the pant to her breath. The air around us was crackling with static electricity and I knew this would be our moment. But as I started to tell her this, how much I needed her, she stood.

"_Um, I'll be right back. Stay here, don't move." _

As she stumbled away from me into the trees, I sat confused. Her speedy exit left me in total upheaval, unsure if she felt the depth of the connection that I had. That was, until I looked and saw her return. She was human again, and completely nude. I couldn't stop my chin from hitting the floor and she flushed, but then squared her shoulders and looked me dead in the eyes.

"I feel the connection too, love, and I need you; now."

I couldn't have phased faster if I'd wanted to and in moments I stood before her completely naked as well. As much as her beauty intimidated me I stepped toward her exuding control and took her small form into my body, excited when I felt the heat radiating from her as well. My hands travelled her body caressing the smooth skin of her shoulders, lower back and hips. She mimicked my actions and allowed her tiny hands to travel over my neck, my shoulders and chest, and then they trailed down my stomach stopped just below my belly button.

In that moment, I couldn't contain myself any longer and I ran my hands through her hair and firmly pulled her face to mine. I started off taking possession of her mouth with mine, swiping her bottom lip with my tongue and when she opened her mouth to sigh I took my opening to slip my tongue into her mouth. She moaned warmly and wrapped her arms around me gripping my shoulders as I stroked the roof of her mouth with my tongue. I felt her body shudder and it caused my own desire to explode. I retracted away from her mouth and gripped her hair into my fist pulling her head back; then I attacked her neck biting softly and nipping my way to her shoulder. In response she leaned into my chest and sucked deeply against my collarbone, eliciting another moan from deep in my throat.

Then she surprised me by placing her hands on top of my shoulders and pushing me downward until I was kneeling in the cool grass below us. I watched her eyes blaze as she climbed down over my lap pulling her naked flesh against my own. The heat of her core pressed against my own fueled my desire and I felt myself grown even harder. Both of us were surprised as wind ruffled through the trees and a cool rain began to pour down onto us. Seeing her soaked by the rain on made her all the sexier, and as she leaned back allowing the rain to cool her entire body I reached in and took her breast into my palm. The soft flesh was supple and inviting and I couldn't resist the urge to lean down, catching her nipple into my mouth. She cried out in surprise but moaned softly grinding her hips against mine as I took her nipple between my teeth and bit her softly, lavishing it with my tongue. Her hands were in my hair pulling and moaning loudly as I followed suit on the opposite nipple, then she pulled back.

"I can't take it anymore Jake, I have to have you, right now." Without any invitation, she reached down between us and took me into her hand, stroking me softly. For a brief second fear flashed behind her eyes, but she bit her lip, and placed my head against her entrance.

I groaned, "Oh God, Bella, you're so wet!" She didn't respond but began to lower herself down onto me, gasping as I filled her. She paused after a moment and I knew this was the moment she dreaded. Covering her mouth with my own, I kissed her deeply and placed my hands on her hips; guiding her down onto me. I felt her tense and she cried out into my mouth as I felt her maidenhead give way to my invasion. I paused for a moment letting her get accustomed to the sensations before I began to move. She gasped but her surprise was accompanied by her moans as they increased in volume. After a few moments she began to move her hips in time with mine and we both reveled in the intense sensation. As the pressure began to build we both groaned and I had an idea. Reaching between us I slid my hand down to rub against her sensitive bud, applying steady pressure. That did it, and her body began to convulse around me as she reached her release.

I looked into her eyes as every sense went into overload, "Oh Bella, you are so tight. Oh God!" I lost myself in the explosion and thrusted into her one last time as I filled her body with my seed. She lay against my chest gasping as we both settled down from the emotional high.

After about ten minutes she lifted her face to mine, kissing my chin softly. "I love you Jacob, I am yours." A small gasp escaped my lips as she confirmed the only words she could say in that moment to make it complete. I looked down at her through hooded eyes, "Mine?" She nodded, smiling widely. I pulled her back against my chest and hugged her heartily until she gasped and I realized I was crushing her. She stood and took my hand, helping me to stand as well.

"We should really get back and make sure my dad isn't in Quileute prison for shooting your dad." I chuckled and kissed her forehead. As much as I hate to admit it, I knew she was right. We quickly fazed and began an intentionally slow trek back to the meeting house.

Just a few seconds after we fazed we were bombarded by a panicked Sam. _"Where the hell have y'all been? Why haven't your heard my signals? We need you both back on the rez and NOW!"_ My initial reaction was anger but before I could respond. I heard Bella snap back at him.

"_Stop yelling! We were…busy…but that doesn't matter! What the hell is wrong?" _

My shock was evident because not only did she just yell at Sam, he listened to her and I felt his angry dissolve. I felt his acquiescence to her but as soon as he regained his composure and explained we didn't have time to ask questions, we were too busy running.

"_Apparently something's happened to Charlie, they took him away in an ambulance about half an hour ago." _

Oh shit, with everything that had happened in the last hour, how were we going to deal with this!


	9. Chapter 9, The Emergency Room

_**Good evening every one and thank you again to all of you, my lovely readers. I'm really sorry for the delay as I meant to update much sooner, but distractions just keep getting in the way. Over time at work is good for the paycheck but not as much for my sanity as far as these stories go. Over the last few weeks, I've struggled to find the time and focus to lay out my stories like I normally do. With a quick rough draft to lay out my ideas, then on Fridays I put them all together into a final draft then edit and publish. Well, no more distractions! I am settled in with my glass of wine and committed to get this update done, darn it!**_

_**I do want to mention that when I rated this story I didn't foresee any lemony content so I did rate it a little low; however in hindsight I do see where even a K+ rating did not fit the last chapter. So I changed the rating to T to accommodate that more intense theme. I do try to be mindful of these things and I appreciate whichever Guest brought that to my attention, so thank you. With that said and done, onto our next chapter! **_

_**A/N: I do not own any part of Twilight, it's characters, or its themes; aside from the ones that I make up, those are mine. **_

**Chapter Nine: The Emergency Room **

**Bella POV:**

We ran at full stride toward the reservation, covering the miles swiftly. After stopping albeit reluctantly to retrieve clothes from Jake's house, we sprinted the rest of the way to the meeting house in our human forms. Once inside, we found Harry sitting with Billy, a worried expression etched behind his eyes. We nodded in greeting toward Sam, who loomed silently next to Billy, a confused expression on his own face and his brow furrowed. Immediately Jacob turned to Sam to ask for whatever information they had, but for the second time, before the words were out of his mouth, I was one step ahead of him.

I rushed to kneel in front of Billy, "What happened after we left earlier?" My outburst surprised everyone in the room; as I hadn't really been know for my boldness.

His dark eyes sized me up slowly, not immune to the pull of my assertive demeanor. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, "I'm not sure exactly. After you two walked out, he continually got angrier and angrier after we mentioned the, um, possibility that…um…"

"I know what the accusation was, Billy; I was here for that." I snapped, "And after that, what happened then?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Sam and Jacob exchange a loaded look, but I was focused on getting the information I needed out of Billy. "You haven't answered my question." He began to squirm under my glare, and although a small part in the back of my mind I recognized that this was far from what the relationship that Billy and I had ever been in the past; I didn't care. He cleared his throat in shift awkwardly.

"Well, he became even more upset after you left the room and the next thing I knew he grabbed his chest and his arm, then he was on the floor. We called the paramedics and they took him to the hospital. I'm no doctor, Bella honey, but he didn't look well. He still hadn't opened his eyes when they arrived, or even as they loaded him into the ambulance." His voice trailed off at the end and for a moment I pushed through my anger and forced myself to see the anxiety radiating from him. This was my dad's best friend; they had been best buddies for a very long time. I tried to imagine what it would feel like to see Jacob or one of the pack injured or in pain and the thought immediately kicked me in the gut. I placed a hand on his knee, causing him to flinch out of surprise.

"Thank you Billy, I'm going to go find out what happened. He nodded somberly and I turned, striding purposefully toward the door again. "Come on Jacob, we need to get to the hospital." I felt the pull of him behind me and outside as my bare feet hit the grass outside I was itching to phase again. Jake stopped me by placing a hand on my arm.

"No love, it wouldn't be wise; we'll take the rabbit. It could be dangerous for you to have to be around a lot of people coming straight from a heightened state like your wolf. Not to mention you're stressed which will add to it and make it harder to control your temper, trust me."

I groaned in agreement and we quickly ran back to his house, and rushing around to the garage we piled into his tiny car. Normally one wouldn't consider it that tiny but to share it with Jake, who just this summer had sprouted to over six feet tall made space pretty tight. He pulled smoothly out of the driveway and out toward the highway. Once there, he sprayed gravel into the air as he kicked it into high gear. The jolt threw my back into my seat but I wasn't afraid, I was grateful. Grateful that someone was in as much of a hurry as I was, finally! The thought of my dad in the hospital terrified me, and my mind ran rapid with each of the scenarios that I might find once we arrived.

Jake startled me out of my dreadful visions when he took my hand into his, "He'll be okay, love. Charlie is strong, he's just had a lot to deal with today, and that's all. Sure a lot more than he's used to, I'd say. And quite honestly I almost ended up on the floor myself with the outlandish accusations the council was throwing at him. I was so embarrassed for them, for their assumptions. But listen; let's not assume the worst until we know for sure. We'll be there in just a few more minutes."

I attempted and failed at flashing him a reassured smile, and he reneged; leaving us to sit in a tense but companionable silence the rest of the way to the ER. Once there, Jake dropped me off at the entrance so I could run inside while he parked the car. Jogging to the nurses' station, I found two nurses chattering animatedly while one filled in information on a patient's chart, while another clicked away on her computer. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Charlie…um, Charles Swan." The nurse with the chart did not even look up before she responded.

"Yes ma'am and you are?"

"I'm his daughter, Bella Swan."

"And when was he brought in?"

Her apathetic attitude was beginning to make my blood boil. "He came in my ambulance it must've been about an hour ago, he was having chest pains and he lost consciousness." I looked down at her name tag and quickly learned her name to be Betty R. I mustered the sweetest smile I could manage, although she still had not managed to look up at me. "And nurse Betty, is it? Well if you could just direct me to where I could find him that would great? Please." I smiled again at the nurse on the computer who had stopped typing and stared, listening to our conversation.

Nurse Betty finally met my worried glare, after feeling it pierce the side of her head no doubt, and smiled a very practiced and plastic smile. "Well, Miss Swan, is it? If you will wait your pretty little head one minute here I'll be happy to take a look and see if we can get you where you need to go. How's that?" With that she returned to her forms and their conversation resumed.

I could feel my blood reach a mercurial point and I tried taking a couple deep breaths to calm myself all the while chanting, "Murder is a crime, get to Charlie. Murder is a crime, get to Charlie. Murder is a crime, get to Charlie." Sadly even the thought of serious jail time was not a deterrent enough to keep my subconscious from imagining me leaping over the counter and on top of dear Nurse Betty and her companion, Nurse Chatterbox. Lucky for the two of them, Jacob walked up behind me wrapped his arm lazily around my waist.

"So, find out anything?" He asked leaning in to kiss my forehead.

"No," I huffed. "Nurse Betty over here doesn't feel we are a priority apparently."

He smiled tenderly, "Let me give it a try, hun."

Placing his hands on my hips he pulled me gently to the side, and leaned over the counter. His towering form caught their attention and neither one could help but to have to lean back to look into his eyes. "Excuse me, could either one of you lovely ladies point me in the direction of Dr. Carlisle Cullen?" Nurse Chatterbox flushed immediately and shuffled some paperwork around, looking for something. "Oh, um, yes sir. Let me…um…let me get his…uh, uh, uh..his, uh…"

"Schedule?" I suggested sardonically and that seemed to start her brain working again.

"Schedule!" Smiling sweetly again at Jake she attempted to shuffle the large pile of forms and charts on her desk out of the way of her keyboard which only resulted in her spilling paperwork everywhere. Both she and Nurse Betty dove down scampering to gather them back together.

"Dear God in heaven! Can someone please just tell me where my father is?" My body began to tremble uncontrollably until I was started by a voice from behind me; which caused me to turn around suddenly. Rising from his seat directly behind me in a row of chairs assembled in neat rows along the back wall, Edward rose lithely.

"Why, hello Bella. He's in the OR with my dad, he's the doctor. They had to pull him into emergency surgery."

I stood confused for a moment. How is it that Edward Cullen the random, creepy, irritating boy from my Biology class knows more about my dad than Nurse Talks-a-lot and Nurse Betty combined? Jacob stroked my shoulder gently but I could feel the tension mounting, and if I were on four legs the hackles on the back of my neck would've been standing straight up. I hated having to even talk to this boy, considering how our last encounter had gone I didn't foresee them getting any better. But in order to avoid Tweedledum and Tweedledee who were still trying to bring order to the scattered pile of paperwork on the floor, it appears that I would have endure him just a little longer.

"Okay Edward, start talking."


	10. Chapter 10, A Watched Pot

**When Choice Meets Fate**

_**Thank you to each of you who are reading, reviewing, and following my stories. I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of support coming through after each update. This makes me want to start another story but it'll be a bit before I do. And on a side note, I am glad that y'all are appreciating the creepy side of Edward's stalker-ish tendencies. I do appreciate gentleman's behavior but even in the original story he takes it to the extreme.**_

_**I hope everyone is enjoying the Olympics, as I am completely glued to NBC. So if you notice we steer off on a tangent about Bella pole vaulting off of the cliffs at La Push then you know that the nonstop coverage has gotten to me. ;)**_

_**A/N: I don't own any part of Twilight, we all know this, yes we do. **_

**Chapter Ten: A Watched Pot Never Boils**

**Edward POV**

From the moment I had witnessed Bella's transformation in the clearing that day, I had felt my entire world begin to crumble. I was so angry that after all of this time waiting for my mate, I finally meet her then this happens? As much as I knew this was no more Alice's fault than that of my own, I couldn't withhold my anger. In my efforts to assuage my own pain and avoid damaging my delicate little sister, I fled from the company of my family and slipped away to Alaska. I allowed my thirst to control me and I gave in to my lust for human blood. It was completely sating and utterly sensual to taste it again. I had a rather entertaining time with a couple of drunken fishermen out ice fishing. At one time there was a small part of me that pitied my prey, but while one wore a wedding ring, they were laughing over the antics of one of them who apparently was having an affair. Well, they were assholes, they were expendable right? Why does this world need any more assholes? I wrote it off as population control, natural selection if you will and I filled the role well, if I do say so myself.

And then there was also the comfort of Tanya, one of the Denali sisters who really wished that I were her mate. She welcomed me into her bed without question and I would definitely say she was firecracker. I smiled to myself, running my tongue along my bottom lip as I remembered the adventures we'd explored together with her in my arms. She had pursued me for quite awhile and she was excited by the prospect that I might finally feel the same way about her. I knew it was self serving but at the time I didn't care. Only after my time there was done there and I saw the pain in her eyes as I turned to leave without so much as a backward glance, did I halfway regret using her the way that I did.

I had since returned to Forks and completely delved into some very interesting research about shape shifters. I learned that Bella could stop phasing, she didn't have to choose that life, or him for that matter. If she chose not to phase, she would begin to age again and all would return to what it was before. But I kept digging; I had to know if it was possible to overthrow an imprint. I knew her pull on Jacob was very strong and she constantly filled his thoughts. I had to control my gag reflex as often as he imagined having sex with her. The horny dog! I knew that I could treat her so much better, and satisfy her so much more than he ever could. But the frustrating part is that I couldn't read her thoughts to know how she really felt about him. I sure as hell didn't believe her when she gave him that obvious act about wanting him in the woods. She didn't know what she was saying, she couldn't possibly.

I was truly convinced because she hadn't truly understood the lifestyle they would have together. Poor and lacking, she would never know the finer things in life. Life in that shack on the reservation would surely pale in comparison to the things she and I would be able to accomplish together, the things I could give and show to her. I longed to show her what our life would be like together. So I brought myself back to this God forsaken town and regained my control over my thirsts and carnal urges, all with the intent of having the opportunity to help her understand. Even if it was day by day in the hour we had together in Biology, between classes at school or even at lunch I would gain her trust. I would go through high school in this hell hole a hundred times over just for one year with her. There was many a night that I sat in the rocking chair in the corner of her bedroom, just watching her sleep and wanting to lie next to her. I somehow knew she was drawn to me just as much as I was to her if only she could see the connection I had to her. I knew in my heart of hearts that this was not her given path; that she was still meant for me. Now I just had to find a way to help her to see that.

So when the revelation of Charlie's incident had come to Alice in a vision and she saw Jacob and Bella racing toward the hospital I knew this would be my next chance. So I broke every natural law to arrive before they did, smiling as I passed Jacob's tiny Rabbit on the highway. I soon breezed into the emergency room waiting room, smiling at the nurses who wilted under my debonair smile and settled quietly into the row of chairs along the back wall. It wasn't long after that Bella came storming in, nervously looking around but missing me entirely; which didn't please me at all. When her eyes finally came to rest on the nurses' station she stomped over and I listened closely to their exchange. Nurse Betty's brash nature caused a chuckle to bubble up and out of my throat but when she snapped at Nurse Annie I frowned, admonishing her softly. "Be nice now Bella, they'd be more than willing to help if you dropped the attitude." Of course she didn't hear and soon their exchange became heated, until Bella was left fuming and trembling. Then _he_ walked in, embracing her from behind. It unnerved me how he was able to fluster the nurses in a similar way to my charms. The scene unfolding in front of me finally reached a fever pitch and my opportunity arose. Apparently from the no good dog's charms Annie had fumbled the pile of files onto the floor where both she and Betty where scrambling over them to reorganize them. That was going to take awhile.

Bella groaned and burst out, "Oh dear God in heaven, can someone please just tell me where my father is?"

I called to her in a voice as sweet as I could muster, "Why hello Bella." She turned quickly and eyed me warily, partially trying to place me and the other part no doubt trying to understand why I was here in the first place. I smiled demurely and set the hook, "Your dad's in the OR with my dad, he's the doctor. He had to pull Charlie into emergency surgery."

Her eyes widened for a moment then she wiped all expression from her eyes and it appears her guard was back up. She looked me square in the face and braced herself, "Okay Edward, start talking."

I controlled every urge I had to flash my brightest smile, realizing that it may not be the most appropriate thing to do at this point. Dialing it down to a more fitting, polite smile I quickly explained. "My dad works here, at the hospital, he's the chief physician on staff here; Carlisle Cullen. I came in to have lunch with him." I lied smoothly. "He could only stop long enough to tell me he couldn't go because he had an emergency heart attack patient coming. Your dad was unconscious when they brought him in and they couldn't get his heart to respond so they were prepping him for emergency surgery the last thing I heard."

In that moment her guard melted again and her anger completely dissolved. Her shoulders slumped and she looked as if she were about to collapse, her face growing paler for a moment. I had to restrain my urge to reach for her and comfort her, realizing that no matter how much I may imagine this, it isn't reality for her yet. I growled softly as Jacob pulled her against his side.

"Bella, honey, are you alright? Maybe you should sit down for a minute, you aren't looking so hot." She wobbled slightly and leaned into him for support; mumbling softly. He gently guided her to sit down in a nearby chair. She sank down into the chair, and I noticed her trembling all over, and a cold sweat broke out over her forehead. I could hear her heart racing a million miles a minute and in spite of our feelings for one another, Jacob and I looked at each other with our faces mirroring the same concern. I hurried over to the nurses' counter and called to Nurse Betty for help, "Betty, please, come quickly! Something is wrong with Bella!" Upon hearing the urgency in my voice she turned away from the chaos with the files, with poor Nurse Annie sprawled across them on the floor trying to gather them into a makeshift pile.

Once she reached where Bella sat, she took a quick inventory then looked into Bella's eyes. "Okay honey, it looks as if you're starting to have an anxiety attack here. Take a few deep breaths for me. There you go sweetie, just a couple more, good job. Now I know you're worried about your dad honey, but you won't be able to help him at all if you're laid up in here too now will you?"

It seemed as if that thought hadn't occurred to Bella, and while she didn't return to normal immediately, she was able to breathe, bringing some of the color back to her cheeks. Both Jake and I breathed a sigh of relief at that.

That was, until we heard the door open and a voice call, "Is anyone here for Charles Swan?"

Bella shot up to her feet and Jake had to catch her to keep her from immediately crashing back into the chair. "Yes sir, that's me; I'm his daughter, Bella." I could hear my father rehearsing this moment in his head and I immediately turned to watch Bella, braced for her reaction.

"I'll need you to come with me, Bella. I'm afraid I have some bad news."


	11. Chapter 11, Diagnosis and Prognosis

_**Thank you to all who are reading, reviewing, and following my stories. I am very happy that my portrayal of Edward's character is coming off accurately. Edward may just have his day later on but for now I'm focusing on my pro-Jacob literature. Then again, Edward may remain the antagonist in my stories because I tend to see Jacob as the stronger of the two; plus he is hotter and alive, LOL. Thank you for the encouraging reviews, they mean the world to me and they tell me that I'm quite possibly doing something right here. With that, onto the story, ladies and gents!**_

_**A/N: I do not own any part of Twilight, it's characters, or its themes; this, we all know. **_

**Chapter Eleven: Diagnosis and Prognosis**

**Bella POV:**

"Wait, I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly. Could you repeat that, please?"

Jake and I sat in Dr. Cullen's office, receiving the update on my father's condition. I shook my head in an attempt to clear my ears out and I gaped at him while he patiently repeated his statement.

"Bella, I'm sorry to tell you this, but it appears that your father has suffered a severe heart attack. His brain was without oxygen for quite some time before the paramedics reached him and it appears that we were unable to revive him."

It felt as if all of the air had been sucked out of my lungs, and the room itself began to shift on its axis. My father, Charlie, dead? My ears began to ring but that's when I realized that he was still speaking.

"Mr. Swan has been placed on a ventilator to assist his body with retaining steady breathing patterns and to regulate the inflow of oxygen; to allow his body the opportunity to heal itself and to regain consciousness on its own. I will speak honestly, the chances are very slim, but there's still a chance."

That was all that I needed to hear. "So Dr. Cullen," I croaked, "when will we know, you know, if it worked, after all?"

His eyes radiated warmth but he didn't smile, "That's hard to say Miss Swan, but we would normally allow three weeks before reassessing the progress and the next course of action. Now did your father have a living Will expressing his wishes in an instance such as this?"

I shook my head, I had no idea of even where to start looking for anything like that in the chaos that was my mother's filing system. Oh, mom! I stood as I realized that she should be here for this. "Has anyone called my mother?" Dr. Cullen quickly called a nurse, "Yes Sharon, could you please contact Mr. Swan's wife? I'm sorry; could you give me her name?"

"Renee, um, Renee Swan. But honestly Dr. Cullen, it would be better if I called her. Otherwise she's likely to have a coronary at home or get into an accident on the way here."

He nodded solemnly and stood, "Well then, you are free to use my office and my telephone if you wish. I'll step out to give you some privacy."

I thanked him quietly as he left, and as I went to pull my phone from my pocket I realized I had lost quite a few pairs of clothing since I last had my phone. There are so many places that it could be and it wasn't very likely that I would find it. Seeing my scramble, Jacob slipped his phone from his pocket and handed it to me. I dialed the number without seeing the numbers, and placed the phone to my ear listening to it ring. "Pick up, mom. Come on, pick up damn it!" It rolled to voicemail after the fourth ring and my mother's distracted greeting came on the line. I couldn't bring myself to leave a voicemail, what would I say if I did. _Oh yeah, mom, dad's in the hospital on a ventilator after Billy accused you of cheating on dad and apparently I'm someone else's kid. Oh yes and one more thing, I'm a werewolf. _This was definitely a conversation that needed to happen between live people, or their voices in the least.

I hung up and immediately hit redial listening to the line ring again. My mother didn't answer until the fifth time that I called and she sounded quite irritated. "Jacob, honey, I don't mean to be rude but I'm trying to get in touch with Bella or Char-…"

"Mom!" She immediately stopped talking the moment I heard her voice, then she became upset, "Where have you been?! I have been calling you and your father all afternoon. Have you seen or heard from him? We're supposed to start dance classes tonight and I really hate to be late. You know Zumba is supposed to be a lot of fun but you have to be there early in order to learn the steps before the class actually starts or we'll be totally behind."

I allowed her to ramble for just a few moments out of respect for her but I was grateful when she finally paused to allow me to answer. "I'm sorry I don't have my phone, I lost it earlier today. But mom, listen to me, you guys won't be going to Zumba class tonight. I need you to come to Forks Community Hospital, dad has had an accident."

I could sense her beginning to panic and I halted her immediate questions, "I will answer all of your questions once you get here but please just focus on getting here safely as quickly as you can, okay? Okay mom, I love you, and if you need me call Jake's phone. Yes, I love you too, I'll see you when you get here, ask for Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Okay, bye."

Handing the phone back to Jacob, I walked out of the office searching for Dr. Cullen. I quickly found him at a nearby nurses' station, filling out information on a patient's chart. As I approached he looked up and smiled warmly. "Yes Miss Swan, were you able to reach your mother?"

I nodded, "Yes sir, thank you for letting me use your office. My mother will be here as soon as she can, but for now could you take me in to see my father please?"

He closed the chart and handed it to the breezy nurse behind the desk, "Most definitely, if you would please follow me, his room is right this way." He led Jacob and me through the maze of hallways and through two elevators until we reached the ICU wing. We found my father in a private room, for which I was extremely grateful. He lay covered from the chest down in a triplicate layer of blankets in a sickly shade of pistachio ice cream green which left me squeamish. My eyes fell upon the monitors which stood next to his bed, held and innumerable group of tubes and IV lines which were helping my father stay alive. It was odd to me that he appeared perfectly fine in every other way, with no discernible scratches, bumps, or bruises. Oh, how appearances can be deceiving.

Jake brought a couple chairs to the side of his bed opposite all of the monitors and guided me to sit down. "You've had too much excitement for one day, you're making me nervous, please sit down." I was grateful for the relief for my poor shaking knees so I quickly sank down into the chair. Dr. Cullen turned to go, "If you have everything you need, I'll get back to my rounds. If you have any questions, the nurses' station is right down the hall here, or you can use the call button on the remote there by the bed. There's a T.V. in the corner if you'd like to use that as well. We have cable here so there has to be something on, even during late night hours. Once your mother arrives, I'll have someone bring her back. For now, I know it's easier said than done but don't stress yourself and try to rest. Your father is getting some well deserved rest now and you'd be wise to do the same. I'll be back to check on his status at the latest tomorrow afternoon about this time. Feel free to page me if you need me prior to that time." We nodded our thanks and he turned and strode out of the room.

Eventually we pulled our chairs closer and Jake turned my chair around so that I could lean back against him, and rest. He leaned his head back against the wall and in true from he was snoring softly within ten minutes. I forget that while he is a werewolf, he's still part human and he still needs sleep too. I fought it for awhile but it wasn't long until my eyes were too drifting closed.

My eyes opened again as my mother came in, sobbing quietly at the sight of Charlie but also attempting to keep quiet as not to wake me or Jake. I slid from under his arm, heavy with sleep and she and I retreated out to the hall where we could speak freely.

Her eyes were rimmed red with tears streaming her cheeks, her face full of questions she couldn't bring herself to ask. As I had since I was young, I took on the role of the parent with my mother. I wrapped her into my arms and stroked her back as she cried. "It'll be okay, mom. Dad is strong, he'll fight through this. Before we know it, he'll be back to normal and out fishing with Harry." She nodded, pulling back from my embrace.

"Thank you honey, I needed that. Now tell me the truth, how bad it is? What happened exactly?"

I blanched, not looking forward to this part of the story. I decided that now was not the appropriate time to bring up the council's accusations, so I only provided the need to know information.

"Apparently during an argument dad was having with Billy he became very upset and according to Dr. Cullen he had a severe heart attack. His brain was without oxygen for an extended amount of time so he lapsed into a coma after they were unsuccessful in reviving him. They have him on a ventilator and monitors to help him heal and hopefully to wake up on his own."

Her eyes were wide as she took in all of the information. When she did finally speak her voice was small, "Bella honey, do you think he'll wake up? You don't think he'll...that he'll…?"

I knew what she was asking; unfortunately I couldn't reassure her that our fears wouldn't come to pass. I just hugged her tightly again and whispered, "We have to hope for the best here, don't let your mind get ahead of us here. Dr. Cullen is still very optimistic. Now go inside and have a seat, I'd imagine it couldn't hurt for you to talk to him about things in our lives to help. Just talk quietly because Jake is sleeping. As for me I'm too awake to sleep now, I think I'm going to go down to the cafeteria for some coffee. If he wakes up, please let Jacob know I'll be back shortly okay?" She nodded and I gently steered her into the room then turned and asked for directions to the cafeteria downstairs. Through my grogginess I surprisingly made my way there and quickly made myself a cup of coffee, then sat heavily in a booth in the corner. After having sat down for less than two minutes, I heard a familiar voice.

"Hello again, Bella, would you mind if I joined you?"

Oh dear lord, does this boy every give up?


	12. Chapter 12, Peace of Mind

_**Good evening all and thank you again for your loyalty in following, reviewing, and reading my stories. I love that Edward's character is emanating the intended responses in your reviews. That makes me happy. **_

_**I'm so sorry that I haven't updated before now, I have been fighting writer's block like something fierce; not to mention RL has been kicking my butt. Got incredible news at work, but my workload has been doubled with over 20 hours of overtime last week alone. Not to mention my parents' 15 year old lab went missing about a week ago and we have all been really worried looking for her. **_

_**In response to the review by Happy Kid 21 – I will definitely recognize the fact that I don't included a lot of dialog in my stories unless it's the only way to really carry the story forward. To me, personally, I enjoy seeing the thoughts and plot behind it more than the dialog itself; however, I can appreciate your point. Also, I had hoped to think I was keeping a fairly steady pace but I will agree there is a lot going on in the story at this point. I guess I'm avoiding the elephant in the room, that inevitable lull that hits in every "book" that you read where things slow down for a bit and you get bored. I do believe that ultimately it's inevitable but I am trying to avoid it all costs. Thank you for reading, **_

_**Aside from that, it's been a long day so I'll get right to our story. **_

**Chapter Twelve: Peace of Mind**

**Edward POV:**

I could hear a heavy sigh from her before she turned, not hesitating to hide her irritation but still her good manners won out.

"Sure Edward, why not; you may have a seat wherever you like."

I slid into the booth across from her and shot her my most sparkling smile. "I'm sorry to bother you; I figured it might be nice to have some company. Did you get more information on Charlie's condition?"

Her deep brown eyes were filled with sadness, and she struggled to hold her composure. "Yes we found out he had a massive heart attack, just like you said. He um, he hasn't regained consciousness and at this rate, we don't know if he will." At these words, she paused and I saw emotion began pooling behind her eyes.

I wished nothing more than to take this pain away from her but I knew that on the other side of the coin, I needed this. I needed her to be emotionally raw and vulnerable here with me, while her dog slept upstairs. This gave me the opportunity I'd been waiting for, but for the moment I needed to let her vent, to bring all of her unshed emotions to the surface. I dreaded the idea of listening to her whine when I could so easily dispose of Charlie and make this process all that much quicker. But in reality, I needed her vulnerable but not broken, so I decided against that idea. So with an inner groan I returned to our conversation where she continued to drone on.

"My mom's here and I have no idea what to even say to her. I mean, I love my mom I really do, but for once I don't want to have to be the grown up here. My dad is lying in that bed in there and he may never…he may never wake up. A girl's daddy is supposed to be invincible, I don't know how mom and I would make it if…if he doesn't…oh my God we can't lose him!"

At this declaration she broke down into sobs almost completely dropping her still full cup of coffee. In a moment I swooped around the table and into the seat directly beside her, wrapping my arm around her. "Bella it'll be okay, my father has known Charlie for a long time. He's a strong man, and he'll come out of this; he really will." I rolled my eyes and stared at the ceiling counting the tiles as she continued to wallow. In my exasperated attempts to entertain myself, I began to gently probe at her mind like I did before, in the hopes that something would come through. Again, the membrane that shielded her thoughts was present. It stood guard everywhere that I pressed, pushing back and denying my entry. Out of frustration I gave a strong final push against it, and immediately Bella sat up as if she had been struck by lightning. The faucet had stopped and her eyes were dry and filled with anger rather than the fear of just a couple of moments ago.

"What the hell is it that you think you're doing, Edward?" Her eyes searched my face, although I had no idea what she was looking for.

I decided that it was wisest to play dumb. "What are you talking about, Bella?" My answer only seemed to make her angrier, and she leaned forward across the table speaking quietly but forcefully all the same.

"Edward, I can feel you trying to get into my head and I don't appreciate it. If I want you to know what I'm thinking I'll tell you but it's not likely considering I can think of nothing else than getting the hell away from you. So do us both a favor and back the fuck off!" With that she stood, and scooping her coffee from the table she stormed away. This girl was nothing like Alice's visions painted her out to be, I'd expected her to be more…compliant. But I refused to give up this easily, so I stood and followed her out into the hall.

"I swear to you now, Edward, if you do not leave me alone! I have no issue phasing in this hallway, dragging your glittery ass into the courtyard, and putting you in your place!"

"Wow Bella, angry much? It's really hard to believe that we were supposed to be mates…"

She whipped around to face me, "What did you say?"

I withdrew from her reach, unsure of what kind of reaction I could expect from her. "I said mates Bella that is what our story was supposed to be. Alice saw it, in one of her visions. And we were happy, really happy. I mean we had our death defying moments but who doesn't?" I realized that I may have been rambling when I looked up to see her leaning against the wall glaring at me while her toe tapped the floor impatiently.

"I don't understand how you leave me so flustered, Bella. I have never been like this, so unsteady and easily rattled. You can't tell me that you don't feel it, the pull toward me as well. There is no way that you can possible want the life that you'll have with that dog more than what you could have with me. If you know of my family then you know the type of life that we lead. I want to give you that life Bella. I want to give you forever, we would be amazing together." She surprised me by shoving herself away from the wall, and walking toward me as she spoke. But the look in her eyes was no longer ominous; it had shifted to a more alluring expression.

"You know Edward I see what you're saying, and I do recognize the kind of life that your family has. I never pictured myself in it, but I get this urge every time that I'm around you. It's almost subliminal, like I just can't control it."

She strode toward me and I smiled at the hunger in her eyes and the sway of her hips, knowing that I had finally gotten through to her. I snapped and realized that she now stood in front of me chewing her lip. She leaned toward me and I closed my eyes, excited at the prospect of her lips meeting mine.

That was until I was shocked back to reality by the unexpected sensation of her fist making contact with my jaw.

**Jacob POV**

I was jarred awake by the sound of Renee's purse clattering against the floor as all of the contents spilled out. Sitting up groggily I stretched heartily, feeling my joints crack.

"Hey Renee, when did you get here?"

She looked up wide eyed, still scrambling to corral her wayward belongings. "Oh Jake, I'm sorry honey. I was trying not to wake you, you were sleeping so soundly."

Although I was exhausted, I smiled warmly in an attempt to assuage her conscious. "You're fine, no worries. Bella and I just tried to get a quick cat nap in." It was then that I realized that Bella was no longer in the room. In seconds, I was awake and scouring the room and what I could see of the hallway. Trying not to alarm Renee I stood and walked over, rescuing a small wayward compact containing some foreign female substance and handing it to her. "So, um, where's Bella run off to?"

"I'm right here honey; don't panic." She appeared in the doorway with a smirk on her lips. I hurried to her and pulled her into my arms and against my chest. "Where did you disappear to my sweet?" She lifted her arm and for the first time I noticed her hand and wrist were wrapped up in a bandage, causing immediate panic to fill my mind. My eyes searched hers for an explanation and she whispered softly where only my ears could make it out. "I punched a vampire in the face."

"Nice." I couldn't contain my pride at my kick ass mate. I overtook her mouth with my own and ended up overwhelmed with the urge to take her right here in the hallway. She picked up on the rising tension and smiled devilishly, "Reign it in cowboy...or should I say Indian?"

I laughed heartily and kissed her lips again, with a little less intensity this time. "No but really, who did you punch?" She opened her mouth to answer but before she could speak we were interrupted as we were reminded that we weren't alone in the room.

"You punched someone? Bella!" Renee rushed over, admonishing Bella sternly, "Honey, I know you're upset but violence is never the answer!" Bella attempted to look contrite while I could feel the pride radiating off of her in waves. Luckily Renee was distracted as a nurse walked in to check on Charlie, so her barrage of questions was halted, but I was still too curious. "So, who was it honey?" Her answer didn't surprise but I was still not happy with it none the less.

"It was Edward, he found me the in the cafeteria. He gave me a speech about how I was supposed to be his mate and how he wanted to give me eternity and the life he knows I deserve."

I felt like I'd been kicked in the gut as his words struck the only chord that really mattered. His money, he was offering her things I never could. The life we would have together would be nothing compared the luxury she would have with him. I was overwhelmed with a wave of doubt, feeling very inadequate and I struggled to keep my emotions from showing.

She was pulling me back to the present with a heady kiss, "Jake honey, I don't want that life. There's not a world in which I would trade money for life. They're dead, and I could never see myself as a necrophiliac. I love your warmth against mine, I crave your warmth."

I could hear the hunger in her words and I knew if we didn't stop this we would have to find a private hiding place very soon. A smaller woman walked past me but stopped just short of the doorway where we stood. I looked up and my mouth dropped open in shock as I recognized our tribe's seeker stood there eying us both soberly.

"Jacob, Isabella, I bring news from the council. We have a lot to discuss."

**There you have it, Chapter 12 finally! I look forward to hearing your thoughts, comments, and reviews! Its kitchen work then bed for me before work tomorrow. Have a great night all! **


	13. Chapter 13, The Seeker

**When Choice Meets Fate**

_**Good afternoon my lovelies! I know, I know, I'm horrible for making you making this long for an update. Work has been absolutely crazy between the company downsizing, my trying to apply for another position, and my mentorship starting in a couple weeks. All I can offer is my most abject apologies and hopefully you'll forgive me,:D. On top of that I've struggled a little bit with deciding between a couple of directions I want to take the story in. Now their fate has been decided so let's move on!**_

_**A/N: I do not own Twilight, or any part of its characters or its themes. **_

_**I felt that a couple of the reviews warranted responses:**_

_**Karebears1981: Thank you for your astute observation. Apparently I confused this story with another story that I'm writing for a moment and had a huge brain fart. That's what I get for writing when I'm in a hurry and not proof reading like I should; my apologies. Charlie and Renee are married and I have corrected the last chapter to omit the Freudian slip. **_

_**Holy Cross Baby: I pulled the accumulation of Edward's time in Alaska from a couple of notes in the Twilight books. After he and Bella met originally he did flee to Alaska to try escaping her. In this instance because my Edward was anxious to see her again he stayed. But once she phased he needed that escape again; call it creative liberty. Also based on the story that Edward tells Bella in Breaking Dawn Pt. 1 about his time of rebellion, it's not so farfetched to believe that he would give in to his animal urges when provoke, is it? I wouldn't think so. I explain this to say that I enjoy pulling little snippets from the story into mine; it's just how I roll.**_

_**And lastly and most recently,**_

_**Hopeless Romantic72: While I appreciate your review and your opinion, I respectfully disagree. The Twilight books, from the perspective of Bella, were about a human girl trying to get herself laid, not to mention changed into the undead. While my story only included a brief excerpt of the love scene between Jacob and Bella, I'm trying to include many other aspects to my story instead of centering it entirely on the physical.**_

**Chapter Thirteen: The Seeker**

**Bella POV**

I stared blankly at the slight figure which stood cloaked in a heavy hooded cloak, nearly the color of midnight. It seemed that she was more a presence rather than a person. After a few intense moments, then she finally spoke.

"Jacob, Isabella, I bring news from the council. We have a lot to discuss."

I started to ask who this mysterious woman was but before the words escaped my mouth, from somewhere in the depths of my being, the answer came. This woman was the Seeker. Her name was not important but the influence she carried with it the utmost respect and prestige among the Quileute people. I had never been taught this of course, however my inner wolf seemed to know it nonetheless. But also with this knowledge came a rush of realization which reminded me that the very reason we stood in the ICU unit of a hospital right now was a direct result of the accusations the council and bombarded my father with earlier the same day. The heaviness of that emotion flooded my mind and I couldn't give a rat's ass about what this creepy woman, spirit, creature, or whatever she is felt the need to throw my way now. My entire body began to tremble and Jacob immediately pulled me close to his chest as I forced the words through my clenched teeth, "How dare you? What gives you the right to bring your accusations here while my father lies there fighting for his very next breath? You need to go, now. And do _not_ come near us again!"

I could hear an odd timbre to the tone of my voice and she even stepped backward from the invisible force behind my words. Her calculating dark eyes searched Jacob's face and an approving smile crept over her lips. "So you have mated, the Alpha's bond is complete."

Her smile was completely disarming and I turned to Jake for an explanation. His face held the same confused expression that mine did, "Well, add that to the list of things to discuss. Should we go find a more private plate to talk?" I sighed in defeat, my ego deflating as Jacob flagged a nurse and asked about the best place to get some privacy as the Seeker and I stood awkwardly waiting. As I watched from a distance in my mind I inwardly mocked her bubbly gestures as she gave him directions.

In no time he was back, and leading the two of us through the maze of hallways until we reached a small enclosed courtyard. As soon as we stepped outside all of my senses were on edge. My eyes scoured the entire area for others who could possible intrude, while my ears took note of every sound in the space; and both my nose and tongue were assaulted with the smell of stale air and medicine. The sound of the Seeker's voice intruded upon the loaded silence and brought me back to present.

"Isabella, please sit. First of all you need to know that while the council does seek the truth behind your transformation we do not seek any harm to come to your father, you, or your family."

I rolled my eyes and had to bite my tongue to avoid shooting a snide response back at her. Thankfully she continued before the words were out of my mouth. "Before we move on to the more emotionally charged news, I want to start with helping the two of you understand the result of the Alpha's bond. Once the Alpha chooses his mate and in turn she accepts the bond, they are mated and the bond is completed. A complete bond means that the Alpha's mate now realizes the same influence and power that the He himself carries."

Both Jake and I looked at one another smiling widely. And still she continued, "Please bear in mind, with this news comes a warning. While the power is normally the only thing one sees, you must also bear in mind that the Alpha's burden is also heaviest. Only time in this role will show the price that only the Alpha is asked to pay."

These words caught my attention and I finally broke my silence to ask, "What burden do you mean what price?"

She shook her head somberly, "Unfortunately that is not something that I can tell you. You must learn it on your own. But still there is much more that we must discuss as well. The council has deliberated and we have determined that the cross contamination of the blood lines did not occur with this generation or the last. It appears there was an illicit relationship between a man of Quileute blood and your great grandmother, Magdalena Swan. You'll find all that you need to know within this." With that she handed me a well worn book. "Considering that you'll be spending time here with your father while he heals, I would advise you to read this carefully."

With a shaking hand, I retrieved the book from her grasp and began to open the front cover. Before I could open it, Jacob's hand covered mine, "No Bella, not yet. Whatever is inside give this news some time to digest before you dive into discovery here."

I nodded and stood turning to thank the Seeker but as quickly as she had appeared she had gone and the seat beside me was empty. Jake chuckled, "Yea, she's known for that. Let's go inside and check on your dad."

With that, my mind was brought back to the present and the reality of where we were. "Yeah, let's get inside; I'm curious if there has been any change." We rushed inside and back to my father's room to learn the disheartening news that things still remained yet the same. My mother had run out to grab a bite to eat so we settled into our chairs beside my father's bed. I stared at the book for what seemed like hours before taking a deep breath and opening the cover.

Inside the aged backing was hand written text, "This is the diary of Magdalena Swan."

_**Okay I know this is a little shorter than my chapters have been but at least it gives you a teaser of where we're headed next. **_

_**Off to make dinner, have a gone evening all!**_


	14. Chapter 14, Dear Diary

_**Good evening my lovelies, I know it's been forever and I know I'm evil for leaving you hanging for so long. It's been a crazy number of months since I last updated and I have had a beast of a time getting this chapter banged out. I'm grateful to have finally been bitten by the FanFiction bug tonight and I finally have a decided direction on where to take this story next. On that note, I will stop rambling and let you read on!**_

_**A/N: I do not own Twilight or Stephenie Meyer's characters or themes. But this version of Jake and Bella's happily ever after is all mine. :D**_

**Chapter Fourteen: Dear Diary**

**Bella POV**

****25th Day of December, 1947

Merry Christmas, my dear journal, I cannot believe that Christmas has come again. Our house was a flurry of activity all day yesterday. Mother came into my room early and surprised me with breakfast in bed. Her eyes were shining with excitement although she would not tell me why. We dressed in a hurry and very soon we were on our way to Macy's in Seattle. I'd wandered the store even as a child running my fingertips over the silken fabrics dreaming of owning even one piece of my own. I had no idea that yesterday would be the day. Mother combed the aisles until she found two of the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen. We hurried to the dressing rooms and a kind attendant helped me to dress while mother waited outside. The first dress was a light blue dress made of the softest silk that I'd ever worn, but it was the second dress which was my favorite. It was made from the shiniest deep red fabric I had ever worn and it fit me like a glove. The sleeves fell just off my shoulders and it made my waist seem so tiny! When I came out from the dressing room, mother's eyes filled with tears and I knew it was the dress she was looking for. After that, the sales lady helped us find a pair of shoes that matched my new dress perfectly. Lastly my mother picked up a beautiful pearl necklace and my look was complete. After we left Macy's, daddy took us home and my mother began cooking for a party we would have that evening to host our family and friends for Christmas dinner. Mother told me that we would have a special guest, which was the reason for my new dress. Yesterday evening so many people began to arrive, I had no idea where we would put them; but they just kept coming. As our party continued on, mother became more and more anxious; continuously fidgeting with my hair and dress…

Jake's voiced interrupted the silence, "Hey Bella, take a break hun. You've been buried in that thing for hours. Here, I brought you some coffee."

As I pulled my mind from its place intertwined within the words of my great grandmother's diary, I realized that the room had darkened around me. Time seemed to catch up with me and I welcomed the steaming hot cup with both hands, switching hands quickly as the hot liquid burned my finger tips through the thin paper cup. I brought the cup to lips and slurped lightly. My tongue was immediately seared by the coffee which tasted of burned coffee grounds buried in a half of cup of cream and sugar. None the less I was grateful. I caught his shoulder and tilted my head back as he leaned in for a kiss. His lips were warm and comforting and in seconds I was almost caught up in this little act of tenderness. Pulling back a bit he chuckled softly. "So, what have you found so far; anything interesting?"

I toyed with the tattered edge of a page which stuck out from the others in the book, "This makes her so real, so much like me. I had no idea of all that she and I have in common."

"Really, how do you mean?"

I sat up, pulling my feet up underneath me to sit Indian style in the chair. "Well for one, she was very stubborn. She was adamant about her feelings, whether or not anyone agreed with her. She grew up here with her family; apparently the Swans have been around Forks for a very long time. And get this, her dad was an activist."

"That seems interesting; did you find anything else about it? I'd be curious to know what he was fighting for."

"Well, from what I can tell, he was pretty dead set against the Quileute and he was hell bent on forcing them away from Forks. She writes about how embarrassed she is because of how hateful he is. It almost reminds me of segregation, he sounds pretty severe. She writes of how he was very open in his hatred of all things Quileute. Listen to this one, I couldn't believe it:

17th Day of September, 1947

Mother wasn't feeling at all well today. She tries not to let me see her struggling but today was one of the worst days she has had in a long while so it showed through her smile. I convinced her to let me stay home from school to help her today. That was my first clue, mother has always been adamant about my going to school. She says I will make a fine wife for James Willmon; she wants me to be able to teach my children so that they will be smart too. I don't want to marry James, he's crude and demanding just like his father, and Daddy is just like them both. That's probably why they like each other so much. I don't want any more days like today.

Daddy drove Mother and me to the store and we did our shopping. As we were leaving the store mother lost her balance and tripped, dropping the sack of groceries she was carrying out to the truck where daddy was waiting for us. A Quileute man standing near helped her to stand then gathered her groceries back into the sack. Daddy was there before we could blink, yelling at the man. He turned so red I thought he might have a heart attack. He told the man not to touch his wife or his daughter, that he should keep his filthy hands to himself. I tried to tell daddy that the man was only trying to help but he grabbed mother and me by the arms and practically drug us out to the truck. My arm still hurts where his fingers bruised my skin. He's in the kitchen yelling at mother now, I can hear her crying and it makes me hate him. He humiliated me and mother today. Why does he have to be so uneducated and close minded? I have to go now, daddy is calling for me.

Maggie Swan

Tears streamed my cheeks as I read her name, running my fingers lightly over her softly scripted signature. I wished so much that I could reach into the page and pull her out if only just to hug her for a moment. Something to say that it won't stay bad forever, but then again I didn't know that for sure. It very well may get a lot worse; which only brought on more tears.

Jake suddenly appeared beside me pulling me up into a hug, rubbing my back lightly has he crooned softly. After a bit when the tears had slowed he pulled away pulling my face up to his and pressing his warm cheek against my own wet one. "It's alright Bella I know that was tough to read, believe me, but it just tells us more about Magdalena. Sit down; let's piece together what we know, here."

He ranched into a bag I hadn't noticed him carrying when he'd come in earlier and pulled out a notepad. "I thought you might want this, for I don't know, notes or something." He grinned sheepishly as I took it and smiled back.

"Thanks Jake, I definitely need it. It's perfect for keeping track of important notes."

He sat down again, and I set the diary aside after carefully marking my place amongst the pages. "Okay let's do this."

I quickly penned "Magdalena Swan – Important Notes" along the top line of the page. After a quick study, I struck a smooth line through Magdalena and write simply "Maggie" above it. I knew her beyond a formal first name now, and it just didn't seem to fit. I knew her as Maggie.

Finally I held my pen above the page thinking carefully on what to write. After some consideration, I wrote out a couple of bullet points.

Father – Activist, Anger issues, hates Quileute people.

Mother sick – What does she have?

I paused; my pen poised above the page, and turned to Jake. "So I have activist father with anger issues and sick mother. Is there anything else you can think of?"

Stroking his chin thoughtfully he considered my question. "What about this James character; who is he? She talks about her mother thinking she'll make a good wife for him, do you think it could be an arranged marriage? How old was she at this point?"

I picked up the diary and flipped to the front cover, ready a faded signature with the year and her age underneath. "According to this, she was sixteen at this point. Do you think it could be?"

He nodded, "I do, in fact, it probably is. Apparently arranged marriages were all the rage back then, especially with a nut job extremist of a father. Who would have thought it, huh?"

"Who would have thought what?"

"I don't know, maybe that her dad having the case of the crazies would drive her into the arms of a Quileute man after all." His eyes held a spark of humor at the prospect.

I almost threw my pen at him but hesitated and then found that I agreed with him; which added another item to our list:

Arranged marriage to James Willmon?

I sat staring at the list until the letters blurred before my eyes trying to make the items make sense. I had no idea that her life was a filled with drama as mine was.

We were interrupted by Dr. Cullen coughing softly at the door. I immediately stood, although he tried to encourage me to stay seated. "No Isabella its fine, please sit. I'm only here to check on Charlie. The nurses tell me that while he is still stable there have been no major developments. That isn't entirely abnormal as we have him in a comatose state by choice for at least another 72 hours."

His smile was an attempt at reassuring me, but I stilled worried that I would never see my father open his eyes again. When I responded my voice was really nothing more than a whisper. "Be honest with me Dr. Cullen, will my dad be okay?"

He came over and clasps his hand gently on my shoulder, "I have no reason to doubt a full recovery Bella, he just needs some time; trust me." With that he made a few small notes on Charlie's chart, and after checking over the machines and fluids hanging from the I.V. stand he made his way out. I moved over next to Jake on the small couch and curled into his side and opened the diary again.

Just before dinner, I learned the real reason for mother's excitement and the party itself. Daddy introduced me to James Willmon, and our parents announced their intentions that we would be married. Mother had been mentioning his name; however I had never had the occasion to meet him. He looked every bit like his father, and like mine for that matter. I know from the stories that I've heard of him that he is everything that I hate about my father and I dread the very thought of ever being his wife. For the sake of not embarrassing mother and daddy, I smiled and danced and pretended that this was the best news; while that cannot be further from the truth. I tried to pull mother aside and tell her what I was feeling but she was so very happy that I couldn't bear the thought of causing her pain.

So until I can think of a different plan, I guess this one will have to do.

Maggie Swan

Hugging the diary to my chest, I leaned back, "Hey Jake,"

His eyes drifted open and only then did I realize that he'd fallen asleep. The only response I heard was a barely audible, "Hmmm?"

I whispered softly, "You were right, an arranged marriage; I can't believe it."

As I settled back in the diary fell open a folded piece of paper, yellowed with age, fell onto the floor at my feet. Intrigued, I leaned down and scooped it up, carefully unfolding it over the cover of the diary. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to read.

To My dearest Maggie,

Last night was amazing and I can hardly wait until next we meet.

Forever yours,

Alexander

I sat in shock, staring down at the letter as if it had grown a second head. "Um Jacob, honey, you are not going believe what I just found."


End file.
